When Gods Descend
by Jessica Marsh
Summary: Sequel to Blessed Aetherius: After fifteen years of relative peace after the climactic end of the Oblivion Crisis, Lily and Jake are sent across a collapsing Empire to search for a man whose mysterious disappearance has left a Plane without a Prince.
1. Prologue

Lily had never asked for the life she was given. She expected something simple—the daughter of a farmer and ex-mage, and then a priestess. There wasn't much room for interpretation.

But the gods seemed bent on giving her something more.

She thought there were a few major milestones in her life. The death of her mother was a fleeting memory, but still important. But meeting Jacob Reman Bercarius the Sixth was one of those milestones. A chance meeting that changed her fate forever.

Moving to Kvatch at seventeen to become a priestess in the chapel amongst Martin Septim, Oleta the healer and Primate Ilav Dralgoner was another. That, of course, tied in with the third: the destruction of Kvatch, meeting Baran, future Champion of Cyrodiil, and her flee of the city to roam the country. Fourth was the sacrifice of Martin to the avatar of Akatosh, to banish the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, from the earthly plane of Tamriel.

The disappearances of Marian Clutumnus and Baran.

Her marriage to Jake. The birth of Mallory Ida Bercarius, then Jacob Reman Bercarius the Seventh.

Then her life was in peace—for a while. The little family lived in comfort and quiet in the farming village of Cropsford after a life of demons and divine intervention. Lily continued to pray to Akatosh, keeping her farming and religion close in hand once again.

But the gods weren't done with their warrior yet.

The next disruption in the cycle of her life was in 4E16—fifteen years after the close of the Oblivion Crisis and the Daedric Invasion of Tamriel.

It was the tenth of First Seed when she first met Suna.

—————————

The shortest, saddest little prologue ever, but bear with me :) So this is the beginning to the sequel of _Blessed Aetherius_. I don't want to give a lot away, but I gotta say, I'm really excited to really get going on this. Read and review, my lovelies :)


	2. Rainbow

Lily released a groan of exasperation when she heard the high-pitched shriek pierce the air like a thousand enemy arrows.

"Holy _gods!_" a voice exclaimed behind her. "I think she just shattered my goddamn eardrums!"

She turned on her heel to see a very disgruntled brunette man hobble in through a plain wooden door. He was streaked with dirt and grime with a matching scowl on his face. "What do you think happened?" Lily asked nonchalantly, loosely tossing the handle of her stiff broom between her hands.

Jake shook his head mutinously and clenched his fists at his side. "Fuck if _I _know. Claudel Bincal probably threw mud at her again."

"She's so dramatic," the redhead muttered, pressing her lips into a dry smile as she watched her husband kick a chair over. "I wonder where she got it from."

He turned his scowl on her, but before he could even open his mouth to retort something, another screech split the sky.

Jake cursed very, very loudly and Lily instinctively tightened her grip on the broom handle when he stalked toward her. Snatching it neatly from her hands and nearly giving her splinters, he snarled, "I'm going to go beat the shit out of that Bincal kid. If his parents can't keep him in line…"

Lily's brows shot into her hairline and she hurried after him as he stomped out the front door. Oh, Akatosh, he was going to let loose his anger on poor Claudel Bincal. She had to warn his parents, or at least his grandfather. Everybody knew the boy was infatuated with their daughter, but Jake hadn't exactly handled it well.

But when she followed Jake outside, she didn't see anything wrong with the scene. Barthel Gernand was seated in a creaky rocking chair outside his home, and his grandson and son-in-law were standing nearby, both gawking into the distance. Callia Bincal was in her flower garden, gaping in the same direction.

Jake had stopped his massacre before it started, and was similarly peering into the distance.

"Where's Remmy?" Lily asked softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. Dirt and mud streaked his clothes, but she ignored it. That was merely another daily part of farming.

He shook his head—did he not know, or…

Lily followed the many gazes, and saw her fourteen year old daughter sprinting desperately back to the town, a bucket of water over her arm—whose contents were sloshed all down the side of her simple blue dress. Her face was unnaturally white, making the freckles smudged over her nose and cheeks stand out boldly, and her brown eyes were wider than plates.

"Mama! Papa!" she cried, running toward them faster than Lily thought she could run. "Oh, gods!"

"Mallory, look—" seventeen year old Claudel Bincal shouted, but she didn't hear. Lily thought the attempted warning was sweet on the boy's part, but he should have seen that it was pointless. Mallory couldn't stop.

She ran headlong into her father with a painful smack, and the two toppled to the grass in a flailing bundle of limbs and clothes.

Lily inhaled sharply and peeked carefully at the pile of brown hair and simple farm clothes. "Um… are you two all right?"

"Need your healing skills, Lily?" Barthel croaked from his rocking chair. His daughter gave an awkward chuckle as she adjusted the wicker basket on her arm.

Mallory quickly detangled herself from her father and leaped to her feet, leaving Jake sprawled on the ground, groaning theatrically. "Mama! I saw this woman when I was collecting water!"

"And?"

"And—and…" Mallory gasped desperately, rubbing her arm and wincing. "She had _blue _hair!"

A very thin silence filled the village.

Arching her eyebrows at her frantic daughter, Lily asked carefully, "You… you panicked because her hair was blue?"

Mallory's jaw dropped as if the thought that blue hair could be acceptable was absolutely preposterous. "It—it's _unnatural!_" she exclaimed.

There was a thud below them, and they both glanced down to see Jake glaring narrowly up at her, making a fervent grab for the broom he had dropped in their tumble. "Big freaking deal, Mallory, her hair was blue," he growled, climbing awkwardly to his feet with the help of the broom. "Did you happen, in all your terror, see where your brother went?"

If it was at all possible, Mallory blanched even more.

"Where's Remmy, Mal?" Lily asked, more gently than Jake.

"He, uh… I saw him run off down the road… he's probably making a run for the Imperial City again," the girl admitted pitifully.

"Go inside, Mallory," Lily suggested sweetly. "Don't worry about Remmy. We'll get Claudel to look for him again, all right?"

"What about—"

"Papa and I will take care of the girl with blue hair," Lily added, before Mallory could panic again.

The girl nodded jerkily. "Uh… okay…" She turned and hobbled, duck-footed, into the farmhouse.

Lily exchanged a glance with Jake. "Blue hair?" she said disbelievingly.

"That's fetching ridiculous."

"How'd you get so dirty, by the way?" Lily asked innocently, reaching forward and taking the broom from him. He surrendered it without a fight, though he still looked very grumpy.

"I was trying to wrestle that stupid sheep into the pen," he retorted angrily. "I hate it. I hate farming. I can't pick the pockets of sheep and horses and tomatoes."

"Keep your voice down," she murmured, catching sight of Callia out of the corner of her eye. The Breton woman was watching them warily, almost suspiciously. "They don't know about your life of crime, Jake. Remember? They weren't here before your name was cleared."

Jake growled something under his breath and kicked the wooden bucket Mallory had dropped. It spun away, clanking violently against rocks. "That sheep can go wander off into the woods and get itself killed by wolves. I don't care about it. We have enough wool. I'm going to clean up."

"All right," Lily muttered, watching him stomp back into the farmhouse his mother had built for them, "leave me to deal with the blue-haired freak all on my own."

"Need any help, Lily?" Aloys Bincal called from his house. Quite thoughtfully, Lady Ida Flaccus had also rebuilt the homes of the Bincals a few years after Lily and Jake settled in, so nothing creaked and everything was in perfect condition.

She shook her head, drumming her fingers on the worn wooden handle of the broom. "No, but could Claudel look for Remmy? He won't be far if he's on foot."

Claudel nodded enthusiastically and made a beeline for the stable. "Of course, Mrs Bercarius, ma'am, I'll go find Remmy," he agreed with alacrity. "I'll find him quick as I can, ma'am."

"Wonderful," she murmured, and started to hike toward where Mallory had fled from—where this supposed blue-haired woman had been. Who in Tamriel had blue hair? She had heard of people dying their hair with black ink to change their appearance in case of emergency, but blue? Why? And _how?_

Immersed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the first three times someone shouted, "Hey!"

Lily glanced up, hearing the fourth, and spotted a small, thin boy—no, girl, definitely girl—in ragged leather garments jogging toward her, with a somewhat short, messy thatch of… electric blue hair.

Oh, Akatosh, Mallory _wasn't _insane.

She didn't know if that was a relief or not.

"Hey!" the girl called, hopping briefly on one foot to dislodge a weed that had clung to her dusty leather trousers. As she approached, Lily saw that her eyes were ringed in dark black makeup, making her vibrant green eyes pop out.

And as she came even closer, Lily could see her very light olive skin, her friendly, distant smile, her natural athletic grace and _something _about her that nagged at Lily's memory.

Then, when the girl came to a stop in front of her, panting softly from running, that _something _clicked when she put it all together—the distant smile, the intense green of her eyes under brown brows, the build of a warrior, though still slight and kind of feminine…

"Holy gods," Lily blurted, "Baran!"

The girl grinned ecstatically and ran her hand through her hair, making the bright blue locks stick up with sweat. "You know my dad? Then _you're _the one I'm looking for!"

Lily jerked back and examined the girl closer. Yes, she definitely looked a lot like Baran, which explained her boyishness, but those eyes were Marian's, through and through, as was the far-off smile. She was pretty, but not in an overly exaggerated way like Marian had been. She was one of those girls without much curves or breasts to envy. No wonder Lily had thought she was a boy from the distance.

"Me? What? Who are you?"

"Suna," she said without preamble. "Are you Lily Laroque?"

She felt suddenly as though all the blood had been drained from her body. The girl even _spoke _like Baran! She said Lily's maiden name with the same Redguard inflection he had. Gods, she was exactly like him. If she had ever wanted to know what a female version of the Champion of Cyrodiil was like, here she was, staring Lily in the face with those heavily made up eyes.

"Um… yes…" Lily stammered stupidly. "Though—it's Bercarius now."

Baran's daughter tilted her head to the side so her shockingly blue hair fell into her face, and she tapped her bare fingers against a silver war axe dangling from her side. The skin around her nails was almost entirely scar tissue, and little hangnails were raw and bleeding, which made Lily grimace. "Hm, I think Mum mentioned that you might be married," the girl pointed out conversationally.

"Mum? Marian?"

"Yeah."

"Where—where are they?" Lily asked breathlessly. Thank Akatosh for the broom she had brought with her. She might have fallen over without it. "I haven't seen them since—"

"I know, fifteen years ago, when Dad saved the world, blah, blah, blah." Suna stuck out her tongue as if disgusted.

Gods, how old was this girl? She acted like a child.

"They never told you? They went to New Sheoth after all was said and done, stopped the Greymarch so Sheogorath vanished as Jyggalag, and Dad became the new Prince of Madness, and Mum's the Duchess of Mania, acting ruler when he's gone. After all _that_ was said and done, they got married and spat out a kid. Me," she said, grinning as she pointed to herself and simultaneously pointed out the obvious. "Well, they spat out a kid _during _it—halfway through the Greymarch, Mum had to stop fighting with Dad and battened down the hatches in Bliss to wait out the rest of her pregnancy."

Bliss? New Sheoth? Sheogorath?

Oh, gods, this girl was born in the Shivering Isles.

Lily immediately gave her a narrow look, trying to spot any abnormalities. Other than the blue hair, she seemed absolutely normal. Though, if she inherited any of her parents' insanities, she would be chasing fire or telling people their diseases and bodily functions at the moment.

Suna seemed to notice the inspection she was being subject to. "Mum said you'd think I was crazy, 'cause I was born in the Isles," she said cheerfully. "She never understood that, but I think Dad said once that he couldn't see weird things about people 'til he went there. I believe it. That place is cool enough to make ya crazy."

"So… are you?" Lily asked, forgetting basic manners.

Suna shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. Anyways, we came back to Tamriel when I was ten, leaving Haskill in charge of the Isles for the time being, and we moved to Mournhold in Morrowind, Dad's hometown. That's our current situation, I guess."

"So why are you here?"

"Mum sent me."

"Why?"

"You should sit down."

Lily cringed as though the girl had hit her, but shakily gestured behind her, toward Cropsford. "Come to the village; you look exhausted."

Ignoring Suna's, "Meh," Lily turned and led the way back toward the town, trying vainly to calm the frantic thoughts swirling about like a hurricane in her head.

Baran and Marian got married. But that had been a long time coming.

Baran and Marian had a kid. Also a probability.

Baran and Marian became the rulers of the Shivering Isles. Less of a probability.

Baran and Marian's daughter had _blue hair_.

_That _took the cake.

"Cake!" Lily suddenly said, light-headed.

"What?"

"We have cake." She glanced back at the girl as they entered the village, and saw that Suna was scowling in confusion and pointedly ignoring the stares she received from the other inhabitants of Cropsford. The Bincals were outside, all gawking in silence as they returned to the town.

"Cake?"

"Oh, Akatosh," Lily whispered. When they reached the Bercarius home, Lily hopped up the porch and held open the door for the girl. "Jake! Where's Mallory?" she called, shutting the door behind Suna and gesturing to the table. When she received no immediate answer, she found a tankard of water for the girl and wandered upstairs to find her husband. "Jake!"

"Lil?" His voice was muffled, but clearly coming from their room.

Lily pushed open the door and saw him peering at her with wide, guilty eyes. His hands were buried in his messy brown hair, and there was a collection of dirt on the floor below him.

Arching her brows, she asked, "Were you planning on disposing of that dirt properly, or kicking it under the bed again?"

"Properly," he assured her quickly, and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her toward him. "Why were you hollering?"

"I wanted to know where Mallory was."

He gave her a thorough kiss before resting his chin on her head and asking, "Why?"

"The blue-haired weirdo is in our house," Lily admitted, pressing her lips into a humourless smile.

Jake jumped back and grabbed her shoulders, bending down to stare right in her face. "What? Who the hell is it? And why'd you let her into our house?"

Lily sighed softly. "Come downstairs and you'll see. Where's Mallory?"

"She went with Claudel to find Rem. C'mon." Jake snatched her wrist and pulled her from their room, back around the corner to the stairs. Lily sighed in exasperation when he let go of her and made a racket stampeding down the stairs—thievery wasn't exactly in her family history, so his effort was pointless.

She followed him with much more demure, and unfortunately didn't see his face when he caught sight of their guest and shouted, "Holy _fuck!_"

"I must really look like my dad," Suna said, giggling.

"You _do_," Jake grumbled, scowling at her as if she was about to explode. "And your hair is _blue_."

"I know."

"Was it always?"

"No."

Jake shot Lily a desperate look, but she ignored him, winding past him to sit across from Suna at the wooden dining table. Of course, Lady Ida had outdone herself and had the thing carved with godly faces in the legs. Nothing was simple for that woman. "Suna, this is Jake, my husband," Lily said dryly, waving to him. "Jake, this is Suna, Baran and Marian's daughter, from the Shivering Isles."

His face was hilariously blank.

"So, why did Marian send you here?" Lily asked, resuming her questioning as she leaned forward on the table.

Suna fiddled with the handle of the heavy tankard before taking a sip. Her face lit up, and she remarked, "The water in Mania tastes like amber and the water in Dementia tastes like madness, and the water in Morrowind tastes like ash. This actually tastes like water should! Oh, why I'm here. Right. You're sitting. Good.

"Well, like I said, Dad's the Prince of Madness now, ever since the Greymarch ended, and Mum's the Duchess of Mania. It's kind of a big deal in the Shivering Isles, but not many people know that over here in Tamriel. They just know Dad as the Hero of Kvatch, Saviour of Bruma and Champion of Cyrodiil, and Mum as his trusty sidekick. But when we moved to Mournhold just about six years ago, some crazy guy started asking questions. I mean, it started with my hair, duh. People don't have multicoloured hair most of the time. But then this guy noticed that Mum was never outside when it rained or snowed, and Dad sometimes accidentally said 'I know' when someone announced they were going to the loo, or if they were complaining about some horrible affliction. This guy noticed what was up. He did some digging, and I guess he somehow found out what we are.

"So he began harassing Mum and Dad. Being born in the nobility of Mournhold, Dad just had to say a word and he was taken care of, so the guy was put into jail for a good long time. But something went wrong."

Suna paused to take another sip, and she smiled to herself when she did.

Lily leaned forward, and noticed that Jake was unnaturally still. "Something went wrong?" she repeated gently. "What do you mean?"

The girl frowned somewhat, and she let out a little sigh as she stared into her tankard. How old was she, fourteen? Underneath her armour and scars and makeup, she suddenly looked very young. "Dad went missing two months ago. Mum thinks it has to do with the guy who figured out who we are. She… she's got to take care of Sheo, so she stayed in Mournhold and sent me here to find you."

Lily didn't bother ask who Sheo was. She could very easily guess. "Why me?"

"Not just you. The both of you. She said that if anyone could help find Dad again, it was Lily Laroque and Jacob Bercarius."

Jake grunted and mumbled, "Should've specified. There's four Jacob Bercariuses alive right now. Or maybe three."

"Well, _you_, obviously, idiot," Suna retorted hotly. She wrapped her arms tighter around a ratty leather backpack on her lap, and pursed her lips somewhat. "If you're married to Lily Laroque, chances are you're with her."

Jake scowled, but said nothing.

"What do you want us to do about it?" Lily inquired as gently as possible.

Suna sighed and rested her cheek on her hand. "Go to Mournhold and talk to Mum. She can tell you more. I was only told the bare basics for you so I wouldn't give up some horrible secret if something happened to me."

Lily and Jake exchanged a glance. While he would normally take any chance he got to escape the farm and do something exciting, he did not look at all pleased to have been asked to drop everything and skedaddle on down to the capital of Morrowind. He didn't even _like _Baran, and besides, Morrowind was on the verge of seceding from the Empire with only the Elder Council ruling. The place was sure to break out into war at any second.

Lily, though… it was a chance to see Marian again, who she had desperately missed through the long years since their last meeting.

"Would you like to stay the night, Suna?" she asked kindly. "I don't think we'll have a definite decision yet, so…"

The girl grinned. "Okay! Was that your daughter I saw before?"

"Yes."

Suna laughed and took another sip of water. "She hasn't seen many people with blue hair before, has she?"

Lily gave Jake a worried glance, and he shrugged.

This would prove to be an interesting visit.

—

Suna went to rest in the guest room almost as soon as she agreed to staying overnight, so Lily and Jake finished up the day's planting in the garden out back. Once that was all said and done, and Mallory had returned with Claudel, with Remmy in tow, they delicately announced that the blue-haired stranger was staying overnight.

Mallory had a fit and ran off to the nearby forested areas. Claudel followed her with an apologetic glance at her parents.

After promising Remmy he would be rightfully punished in the morning, Lily and Jake went upstairs and fell asleep almost immediately.

Lily woke up to remember dreams of fire and death burning beneath her eyelids. Red-skinned demons and golden dragons, destruction and glory; arches of blackened rock and lava…

"You look like hell," Jake remarked, watching her come down the stairs into the kitchen in the morning.

She groaned and slumped into the chair opposite him at the table. Somebody had made tea, and the whole room smelled sweetly of the herbal leaves. "I feel like hell. All I could dream about was Oblivion and Martin and Mehrunes Dagon," she mumbled, rubbing her hands over her face. "Dark circles?"

Jake absently ran his fingers through his hair, and a silver strand caught the light streaming in through the windows and open doors. "Yep. And bloodshot eyes, too. Go douse yourself in cold water, or something. Maybe it'll help."

"Maybe." She yawned and glared at the few white hairs in his head. "Where are Mallory and Rem?"

"Mallory's in the woods, collecting mushroomy things with Claudel, and Rem's in the cellar, whittling. I already talked to him," he added, before she could ask. "He left for the same reasons as usual—he hates farming, and he wants to go to a city and see what it's like for more than a few days. He's just going to end up stealing from someone again."

"I wonder why," Lily remarked dryly. "Everyone says he's more like me, but that's bull. He's exactly like you in every way."

Jake smirked and shook his head. "I don't have orange hair and blue eyes, Lil. People who don't know him say he's more like you." He got to his feet, scraping the heavy oak chair back over the wooden floor. "Want anything while I'm up?"

"Tea," she replied immediately, dropping her forehead onto the table with a moan.

She heard him mussing about in the kitchen, and a few minutes later, he returned with tea and a plate of bread that he set in front of her.

"Eat something."

Lily wrapped her hands around the porcelain teacup and eyed him. "Not right now. So. We need to talk about this."

"What, the crazy kid sleeping upstairs?" He chewed absently on the corner of his lip as he watched her. "I don't think we should go. I'm putting that out right now. We haven't seen Baran or Marian since that bullshit with Oblivion ended. They said they were going to the Nibenay for a _little while_, Lil, not fifteen years."

"To be fair, they were in Morrowind for five years," Lily murmured, but she doubted he even cared.

"Fine, but they could have bothered to contact somebody. They can't possibly expect us to set our lives aside to go help them, especially since we haven't seen them in so long. They could've been dead, for all we knew."

"I know," she whispered, exhaling heavily. "But we can't abandon them, Jake. Baran needs our help. And clearly Marian can't do anything about it, or else she wouldn't have sent her fourteen year old daughter to come get us. She's got kids to look after."

Jake got to his feet and shook his head. "What in Oblivion are Mallory and Rem, huh? Pets?"

Lily narrowed her gaze. "You know what I mean. Mallory and Rem are dependent on us still; if Suna was still clinging to her parents, she wouldn't be here, alone. She's got an axe, Jake, I think she can handle herself."

"If she can handle herself, Marian should get her to find Baran. This isn't our bus—" Jake suddenly stopped talking and his eyes widened as he looked over Lily's head.

"What—" Lily started to ask, turning in her chair, but she immediately spotted what made him so silent.

Suna was hopping down the stairs, wearing her ratty leather still, with the backpack slung over one shoulder and her eyes surrounded in thick black. But her hair, scruffy and messy, was no longer electric blue. Rather, it was unnaturally green, bringing out the colour of her eyes.

Lily gawked at it, perplexed. What in Tamriel was wrong with this girl?

"Good, uh, good morning," Jake stammered as she stepped off the final stair and wandered into the dining area.

"Good morning," she greeted, friendly, as she sat down next to Lily. Without waiting for an invitation, she reached forward and plucked a slice of bread from the plate—giving Lily a clear view of the bloody scabs around her fingernails. The redhead cringed at the sight, and delicately pushed the plate away from her.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, grimacing at Suna's picked fingers.

"Yeah. It's really quiet out here, not like New Sheoth and Mournhold."

"Dad," a young, whiney voice said from the kitchen. Lily looked behind her and saw the coppery hair of Jacob Reman Bercarius the Seventh poking out of the trapdoor to the cellar. "Oh, hey, Mum" he said, catching sight of her. Remmy climbed out of the trapdoor, clutching a bent knife and a partially-carved piece of wood in his hands. "Dad…"

Lily shot Jake a questioning glance, and he smiled awkwardly. "What happened now, Rem?"

"This knife sucks. Why do you keep giving me the crappy ones?" Remmy's light blue eyes flicked briefly to Suna, and he frowned as he noticed her hair was green instead of blue. "Can I please use yours?"

"My Blade of Woe? No way in hell, kid. Get Claudel to fix that one again."

Remmy's lips jutted out in a pout, but he didn't retreat to the cellar again. He trudged up to the table and climbed onto Jake's lap, making his father grimace.

"You're getting too big for that, Rem," Jake remarked delicately. For twelve years old, Remmy was tall and gangly. The first time he started growing like crazy—around eleven—Jake had casually remarked that was around the age his own growth spurt hit, and then bam, a few years later he was living on the street.

As if growing had anything to do with his homelessness.

"Oh, well." The boy dropped the ruined knife and wood on the table and gave Suna a long, hard stare. After a few minutes, he bluntly asked, "Why is your hair green today?"

Suna gnawed on the corner of her bread, getting crumbs all over her mouth. "Felt like it."

"How do you change it?"

"Rem," Lily said sternly. "You're being rude."

"Nah, it's fine." Suna leaned back in her chair and rubbed the back of her hand over her lips. "I'm an alchemist. I can make any potion. I'm not so good with Tamrielic ingredients, but I could make the craziest stuff in the Isles. Pretty sure I'm the only person who can make dyes in these colours for hair." She patted the backpack on her lap, and glasses inside chinked together.

Remmy's eyes widened. "Cool."

Suna nodded and absently picked at her fingers. She was digging her nails into the skin and brutally ripping off any hangnails that resulted. That explained the scabs and scars, then. "Yep. I've never tried normal colours, though," she added contemplatively, looking up at Jake. He shifted uncomfortably, and she squinted. "I could try brown. You've got greys."

"Hey!" he said indignantly. "I don't have grey hair."

Lily winced, and he glowered at her. "You're forty-four, Jake. You've got a couple."

"You're crazy. I haven't changed at all."

Suna arched thick brown brows at their pitiful argument and sighed, leaning her elbows on the table. "I have to know if you guys've come up with a decision yet."

There was a note of finality in her young voice that Lily didn't trust. "What will happen if we can't go?" she asked warily. She didn't want that to be the only option, but if they had no choice but to stay in Cropsford…

The girl ruffled her short, messy emerald hair, almost in exasperation. "I don't know. Mum didn't say what she'd do. But she's not just going to leave him. He's already been gone for two months. I figure she'll summon the dark seducers and golden saints from the Shivering Isles to help."

Her words seemed to ring out in the open room, bouncing off the papered walls to reverberate in Lily's head. Marian was no mage, so using the power to summon Daedric creatures from a Plane of Oblivion had to be a gift granted to her by Sheogorath himself. It would take incredible Magicka to pull those Daedra from the Madhouse, and to simply deposit them in Tamriel, in the middle of a weakened Empire? Lily could definitely see something going horribly and irrevocably _wrong_.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as Jake slammed his palms on the table and stood up, neatly pushing Remmy off with a squawk. "Well, okay then, problem solved. I'm sure Marian can handle herself if she has an army of Daedra at her beck and call. I'm going to find Mallory," the elder Bercarius announced. He looked toward Suna and smiled more than a little coldly. "Great to meet ya, Suna, but I've got to go. Good luck with your dad." Without another word, he strode across the room and stepped out onto the back porch through the open door.

Lily glared after him, completely shocked. If he thought that he could simply make the decision for them, and _so _rudely, then he had another thing coming. Glowering at his back, she silently placed a demoralize spell on him and smirked when he suddenly tripped over nothing and collapsed in the field.

Looking back at Suna, Lily's heart broke to see the look of dejection on the girl's face. The sadness in the priestess' heart was briefly smothered for just a moment as the roots of Suna's hair began to very slowly turn a dark, evil shade of purple. It was like somebody had taken a nightshade and tainted it.

Nobody spoke again until the girl's entire head was that eerie, uncomfortable hue.

The first one to break the pea soup silence was Remmy. A huge breath exploded from him as if he had been holding it since Jake had left. "Holy," he said with childish naivety. "That was insane."

Lily had no idea if he was referring to his father's ridiculous behaviour or Suna's hair. She decided not to question it, and instead turned to the girl, who was now staring at the grain of the tabletop. Her eyes nearly shut so only blackness was visible from where Lily sat. "Suna," she murmured, and the vibrant green flicked up her way, only briefly. The cheeriness Lily had already come to expect from the girl was all but vanished completely from her gaze. "We'll go to Mournhold and help find your father."


	3. On the road again

"This is a bad idea, you know."

Lily looked down at Jake as he walked alongside her horse. Her first, her faithful white horse Victor, had been killed by a pack of wolves that attacked Cropsford three years before. Lily mourned the loss—after all, that horse had really been with her through a _lot_—but now she had the great stallion's offspring to love. Her favourite was the one she rode, a little speckled mare she had dubbed Victoria.

"What, saving one of my oldest and closest friends from death? Oh yes, terrible." She returned her gaze in front of her and loosened her grip on the reins. Remmy was slumped on the saddle in front of her, fast asleep. Evening was settling in fast; the sky was already a darkening indigo, spotted with silver stars.

Mallory rode another one of Victor's offspring. It was one of the larger horses; a boy the girl had affectionately named Piggy, because he had always stolen the others' food when he was young. She was riding several paces ahead, with Suna walking swiftly and taking the lead. They had decided to take a third horse to carry supplies, but both Jake and Suna refused to ride; Jake, because of his fear of horses, and Suna, because she just simply enjoyed walking, she said.

The packhorse was the only one of the current party who wasn't one of Victor's offspring. Mallory had found it once on the road near Cropsford, wounded and limping, and brought it home. There it remained. It was brown and soft, with warm, comforting eyes that made everyone melt. Lily had immediately started calling him Martin. Jake hadn't liked it a bit.

Martin was being pulled along behind Mallory's horse, though it was a difficult process; Piggy kept trying to pull out of Mallory's grasp to snap his teeth at the grass along the road.

Jake sighed heavily after a bout of silence. "You know what I mean, Lil. We're just up and leaving everything. It's First Seed. We only just started planting."

Lily felt she had said it all before—and she had, right after leaving Cropsford that morning—when she replied, "Aloys Bincal promised he and Claudel would look after everything while we're gone."

"The house?"

"They promised to keep everything clean."

"Bills?"

"Callia knows where we keep the money to pay them each month." Lily shot her husband a dark look that was, unfortunately, lost to the night. "And before you say anything, we've known them for fifteen years, Jake. If we can't trust them with our money, we really can't trust anyone."

Jake's face twisted into a glower. After spending over half his life essentially penniless, he had grown into a bit of a miser.

"And it's one season, Jake. So what if not everything grows perfectly? We've had worse years, ones where we were there the entire time to tend to everything. It's only the fourteenth; there's lots of time to get this done."

Their argument was prevented from getting any further when Mallory's white steed slowed and turned somewhat. Their daughter swivelled in her saddle and called, "Mama, she wants to stop for the night!"

_She_ being Suna, since Mallory refused to address her by name, Lily thought. They hadn't really travelled far in their first day, but that was to be expected. They had three horses and two—no, three—children to lug around with them, though one couldn't really be considered a child.

"This seems like as good a place as any," Lily muttered, peering through the night. She had no inkling of where they were except Cyrodiil, but they were in a hilly, forested area to the north of Cropsford, as they travelled on the Red Ring Road to get to Cheydinhal and the pass into Morrowind. A slight cliff-face was to their left, with evergreens blanketing the country to their right. Staying near the road seemed like a good idea. They'd take the small clearing in front of the rock face.

As Jake hurried up to Mallory to help her with Piggy and Martin, Lily gently shook Remmy's shoulders. "Wake up, sleepyhead," she said as she felt him stirring.

"Mum?" he mumbled sleepily, shifting and turning slightly to see her. "Are we there yet?"

Lily smiled. "Mournhold? No, afraid not. We're not even as north as the Imperial City yet. Can you dismount on your own, or should I go first?"

Rem scrunched up his pale face. "You first, Mum. I'll probably just fall."

A hot pink head appeared beside the horse a moment later. "I'll help!" Suna offered cheerfully. She reached up and Remmy practically leaped into her arms. He giggled as she caught him, making the glass bottles and vials in her backpack jingle and chink together.

Freed from her burden, Lily dismounted with ease and began removing the bags from Victoria's saddle. The white and grey speckled mare turned her neck and watched in disinterest for a few moments before bending and plucking at the grass along the road. "No, no, don't wander off," Lily scoffed, quickly swiping the reins and leading her to a tree where Jake was already tying Piggy and Martin. Once the horses were all taken care of, saddlebags were dragged to a pile of sticks and bark that Suna was employing Remmy in collecting.

Lily watched the scene in awe. Mallory was leaning against the rock face, covering her mouth as she yawned. Suna was chasing Remmy into the forest and back; each time, he returned with an armload of kindling and twigs. She was shouting like a military general, and he giggled and screeched with delight, making nocturnal birds call in disgust and flee from their roosts.

"Not even _Mallory _did that with him," Jake murmured from just behind her. He sound amazed. "Maybe he only needed somebody insane to keep up with him."

"Maybe."

They continued to watch until Rem dumped another bundle of wood onto the pile and Suna grabbed him about the waist. "That's enough," she decided, panting and giggling. Her face was flushed from all the running, a pink to match her hair. "I think we can make a fire out of that."

Remmy was beaming, showing off blank spots in his mouth where he was missing teeth. Gasping just as Suna was, he looked over at his parents. They could only smile in return; they had no words to express their astonishment.

Soon, they had all hunkered down for the night. It was spring and the nights were still cold, so they had packed way too many blankets. Everybody had more than enough, especially after Lily used destructive magic to light the fire.

Mallory instantly fell asleep. Her gentle sighs mingled with the wind whispering through the tree boughs and the _whoosh_ of the fire. Everybody else remained awake, handing food around the circle.

"Tell me. Please?" Remmy was peering at Suna with wide, crystalline eyes. Lily glanced over at him from her apple, and saw the look of awe in his eyes. Frowning, Lily cast a look at Jake, and he caught her eye. Neither of them had been so interested in somebody from the Isles before. They both found the idea of an insane asylum Plane of Oblivion rather daunting.

Suna rocked back and forth, cradling her thick leather backpack on her lap. Her bright pink hair glowed in the firelight. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Where were you born?"

"Orinthal's house, in Bliss, New Sheoth, capital city of the Shivering Isles," she recited promptly. "On the twenty-seventh of Last Seed."

Lily choked on a bite of apple that suddenly decided to lodge itself in her throat. Jake helpfully pounded her on the back until it spewed out and landed neatly in the fire. Red-faced and eyes watering, Lily waved at Suna. "Go on," she croaked.

Twenty-seventh of Last Seed. Directly a year after Baran escaped from the Imperial Prison to go on to become the Champion of Cyrodiil.

How insane.

"Bliss is the nice side of New Sheoth. Everything is clean and gold and pretty, with butterflies and sparkles of amber in the air. The guards are golden saints, who are beautiful, but mean as hell. 'Cause I was born in Bliss, I'm Manic." She absently blew a lock of hair out of her eyes before continuing. "Mum's the Duchess of Mania, and Dad's pretty much the new Sheogorath. It's cool. I can pretty much get away with anything I want there, being a princess, in a way."

"Cool," Remmy breathed, awestruck.

"Um." Suna fiddled with the clasp of her backpack as she thought. "I've got a little brother. Sheo. He's seven. He was born a little while before we left the Isles to go to Mournhold."

Lily tuned them out as Remmy began to ask more and more about the Shivering Isles. She'd heard this all before from Marian, and really didn't feel like she needed to hear it again.

Jake appeared to have done the same. He was collapsed on his back, arms beneath his head as he stared up at the sky. Lily lay back and rested her head on his shoulder, wishing she was just a little better at star gazing.

"Mage," Jake whispered suddenly.

"Shadow," Lily returned. She met his gaze and smiled. He still tried to pull the invisible act now and then, when he did something awful and needed to hide from her. Being born under the Shadow made him insufferable sometimes.

Tilting his jaw toward Mallory's prone form, he said, "Atronach. Just my luck we'd get another mage in this family."

Lily looked at Rem as he continued to quiz Suna about the Shivering Isles. Her hair began to fade as she ran out of things to say, losing pinkness to a dark shade of brown. "Steed. Fast and impatient."

"No kidding. I wonder what Last Seed is," Jake said thoughtfully.

Lily thought for a moment. If she'd gone to the Arcane University as she planned to all her childhood years, she would've surely studied the stars and their corresponding months. As it was, she only knew what she did because of a book.

"It's one of the guardians," she said unsurely. "Like me."

"Guardians?"

"The Mage is a guardian constellation. The three other magical signs are just charges under the Mage. The Thief is another guardian, and so is…" She screwed up her face in thought. "Um… oh! I think it's the Warrior. I know it's not the Steed; Rem's sign is only a charge. The Warrior, then."

Jake made a thoughtful noise. "Seems about right."

Lily twisted a bit so she was lying on her side, facing him. "Are you going to warm up to her?"

"_Pfft_, no," he scoffed, scowling.

His wife sighed heavily and stole another glance at their guest. The pink was almost entirely gone from her hair, leaving it the same brown as Baran's. She looked even more like him and a boy without the fanciful colours. Lily thought they suited her much better than the brown did.

"All right, Mallory, just try to get along with her," Lily joked, poking his shoulder as she sat up. The two children still awake looked toward her as she straightened. "Remmy, it's time for bed." As he started to pout, she shook her finger at him. "No, we have a long day of travel ahead of us tomorrow, and you need your rest. If we're lucky, we'll make it to Cheydinhal, but I highly doubt it."

Suna viciously rubbed the side of her nose with one bloody finger. "If I knew anything about Magicka I'd take us directly to Mournhold. Besides, I think teleportation magic is outlawed here. At least it feels like it."

"It's fine. You're doing all you can, and we appreciate it." Turning her gaze on her ginger-haired son, Lily said sternly, "Now, bed, mister. Don't you want to make it to Cheydinhal by tomorrow night?"

A sly smile slowly spread over Remmy's freckled cheeks. "Can we see Gran for a bit before we leave?" he asked hopefully.

Lily tried to hide a wince. Whenever Ida visited Cropsford, or on the rare occasion when the family made the trip into Cheydinhal, Jake's mother spoiled the children rotten. Quite literally sometimes, too. She gave them all sorts of imported candy that Lily hadn't even known existed.

"We'll see. We definitely _won't _be seeing Gran if you don't get to bed right this instant."

Seeing the threat as something quite real, Remmy instantly crawled beneath his blankets and bade a quick goodnight to everybody still awake.

"Goodnight, Remmy. I love you."

"Love you too, Mum."

"'Night, Rem," Jake recited, monotone.

"You too, Dad," his son replied in the same tone. "Goodnight, Suna!"

The girl leaned over and made a face at him, but Lily could see the tired lines on her face. "G'night, kid."

Almost as soon as Remmy cuddled beneath his blankets, Suna pulled her own ratty blue quilt from her backpack and flopped to the grass, curling up beneath it. She was out like a light in what seemed like a second.

"He has a crush on her," Jake pointed out, rather unnecessarily.

"I saw that. How cute. Rem's first crush. And with Baran and Marian's crazy daughter, too. I can't wait to tell them."

Jake sighed heavily and she looked down at him just as he rolled his eyes. "Oh, go to bed, you weirdo." When Lily merely smirked at him and didn't comply, he reached up and yanked her down to his side, making her stifle a squeal. Ever since they cleaned up their lives after the Daedric Invasion, there was a clear supply of food for a once-starving man. No longer was Jake a scrawny, underfed urchin. Lily sighed dreamily and snuggled up beside him, relishing in the feel of the muscles of his arms. Hard labour and good food made him, well… impressive, for a thief.

Yawning, Lily nuzzled in close to her husband, still gazing up at the sky. "Where do you think Baran is, Jake?"

He was quiet for a very long time. So long that Lily almost gave up and thought he had fallen asleep. For several minutes, she lost herself to the scents of spring wafting through the air—the fresh flowers and young grass, and crisp cold winds flying down off the Jerall Mountains to the north. Everything was soft and warm and beautiful. Cyrodiil in the springtime. Perfect.

"I really don't know, Lil. He could be anywhere. Morrowind is a big place."

Running her fingers over his front, she asked quietly, "Have you accepted this then?"

His body deflated beneath her hand as he sighed. "No. I still don't like this. But that doesn't mean I have to be a dick to you. Although, I didn't appreciate you making the decision to go all the way to Morrowind without me."

"You were going to do the same to me. And my way saved a life instead of condemning one." Lily kept it to herself that she had cast a demoralize spell on him to make him anxious and clumsy for the rest of that day.

"All right, all right, you win, priestess." Jake's arm came up around her, pulling her close. Lily inhaled happily, smelling grass and the soap used to clean his shirt. Comforted by the scents, her eyes slipped shut and she drifted into a peaceful sleep under the stars.

—

By six o'clock in the evening, two days later, they could see the city walls of Cheydinhal. Dirty and tired, they were all more than ready for a break, and it just so happened that the woman in County Cheydinhal most famous for her hospitality was none other than Jake's own mother.

During the past few days, Jake had vanished into the woods, like he always did, Mallory and Lily warded off vermin with spells, Remmy assaulted Suna with questions, and her hair changed from yellow, back to blue, and once to red, when Piggy bit her backpack and nearly tore one of the straps off. She always fell asleep and woke up with brown hair, and she always poured a thick, colourless sludge on her scalp and rubbed it in every morning. A few minutes later, and presto! She had colourful hair. It seemed to change depending on her mood, or so Lily suspected. If that was the case, the girl really was an amazing alchemist.

As they neared Cheydinhal, Suna, whose hair was blue again, was walking beside Lily, Remmy and Victoria. Jake was with Mallory up ahead, but of course, he wasn't on a horse.

"That's Cheydinhal?" Suna was squinting into the distance, her scabby fingers tapping the blunt side of her silver war axe. It was something Lily had noticed her do often, and wondered if it was a nervous tick. "Not very impressive looking."

"Well, the last city we saw was the Imperial City," Remmy defended, leaning over on Victoria's back. Lily quickly let go of the reins with one arm and snagged him before he fell off. Completely ignoring this, the boy continued, "Nothing's very impressive looking next to the Imperial City."

Suna's brown brows arched heavily as she looked up at him. "New Sheoth Palace. I've seen both, so I can say that without sounding like a prick."

Lily grimaced. Though she was really starting to like the girl, she had to admit that Suna had quite the mouth on her for a kid of only fourteen.

"Okay, fine. Mum, are we staying the night with Gran?" Rem asked hopefully, throwing his head back to see his mother.

Lily smiled as she looked at his eyes, identical to her own shade of ocean blue. They sparkled in the dwindling sunlight, full of life. "Oh, probably. Gran hasn't seen you in, what, two years now? And I'm sure she'd be more than happy to meet the daughter of the Champion of Cyrodiil," she added for Suna's sake. She didn't want the girl to be too left out of their family. "Besides," she added, "it's only First Seed, and we have to cross the Valus Mountains into Morrowind. Which pass did you use?" she asked, looking to Suna.

The girl lifted one leather-clad shoulder. "I don't know the name, but it was south of here. A big one. Well-travelled." When Lily nodded and grunted positively, Suna shot her a dark look. "You didn't have to come all the way up here just to make it to the pass. You could've gone straight from your house. This city's way out of the way."

Lily felt Remmy shift uncomfortably in front of her. He clearly didn't like Suna's new attitude. Lily was surprised the girl's hair wasn't changing colour. "I know. Jake and I talked about it the night before we left. We don't have the kind of supplies we need to go through a mountain pass, and we weren't anywhere we could easily get them. His mother will give us what we need without a second thought."

"Oh, okay." Immediately, the girl was cheerful again, chewing on the cuticles of one hand, while the other tapped against her axe. Lily still hadn't seen her use it yet, and she didn't want to. No fourteen year old should be wielding that kind of weapon. "The pass is still snowy," she pointed out offhandedly.

"Snow?" Rem immediately perked up in his seat. Cropsford rarely got snow; the only times he had ever really seen it was when they had spent the winter months in Cheydinhal with Ida. "Mum, _really?_"

"I guess so, Rem. We'll see when we get there."

"Cool!"

They remained in a partial silence until they reached Black Waterside Stables, where the Dunmer stable hand immediately helped them remove saddles and saddlebags. After handing over a few septims to cover the costs of keeping all three horses at the stables overnight, Lily led the little party toward the great wooden gates to the city of Cheydinhal.

The guards nodded at them as they passed, and no fuss was made. Jake and Lily were almost recognized by face alone in this town now.

Well, Jake always had been. He was identical to both mother and father—the latter of whom was a member of the Elder Council—not to mention the Dark Brotherhood presence still looming in the town, even after their near wipe-out a few years after the Oblivion crisis ended.

Inside, it was nothing new to the Bercariuses. They'd been to Cheydinhal plenty of times.

Suna, on the other hand, hadn't been there before in her life.

"Oh, Sheogorath!" she gasped, and for once, she seemed one hell of a lot more like Marian than Baran. "It looks like Morrowind!"

"Is this what it looks like where you live?" Remmy asked, sounding sleepy.

Suna shook her head, her shock of blue hair ruffling from the movement and a slight breeze. "I live more in the southeast. It's a lot different. But on the other side of the Valus Mountains… wow."

Jake and Mallory were already headed in the direction of Lady Flaccus' manor, brown heads bobbing as they walked together. Tugging on Suna's leather sleeve, Lily said, "Come on, we have to go. There won't be any time for exploring tonight." Urging the children onward, she caught up with her husband and daughter. The rushing of the creek flowing through Cheydinhal drowned out whatever conversation they may have been having, but it had to be pleasant; Mallory was laughing.

Lily smiled sadly to herself. She adored her daughter, but she wondered how she managed to pick up all of Lily's conservative values and only very few of anything else.

It only took ten minutes to wind across town to where Lady Ida's manor stood, imposing, against the city wall. There were two guards standing on the porch, one on either side of the large double doors. They nodded as the party approached, just as the city guards had.

Lily thought about knocking, to be polite since it was late and they were bringing a guest, but that notion was whisked away immediately when Mallory and Remmy burst through the front door, screaming for their grandmother.

The other three followed with much more dignity.

Glancing Suna's way, Lily was surprised to see that the girl didn't look all that impressed by the grandeur of Ida's home. Gilded everything, marble everything, rich everything…

As if sensing what Lily's look meant, Suna mentioned, "The palace in New Sheoth is a lot simpler and prettier than this. I don't like how everything in Tamriel is overdone."

"Gran, Gran, Gran!" Remmy shouted as Lady Ida appeared in the front entrance, looking surprised at this intrusion. At the sight of her grandchildren, her lined face split into a smile and she crouched just in time for Remmy to plough into her. "Hi, Gran!"

She was hugging him so close, Lily could only see his mop of orange hair, her silver locks, and the thick burgundy dress she wore. Room was made for Mallory as the girl hopped up to them, and they remained clutched together for several more moments.

"Hey, Mum," Jake greeted cordially. "Gograk," he added, as Ida's aging Orc steward entered the room behind her and the children.

The large green man gave a little bow. "Master Jake. Lady Lily. Little masters," he added, as the kids let go of their grandmother to hug him as well.

Ida stood, brushing out the creases in her gown as she stepped up to greet the adults. "Jake, Lily, it's been a while," she mentioned. Lily held back a sigh as she heard the cracks in Ida's voice. She hadn't been young when Lily met her fifteen years ago, but she had still been gorgeous. She still was, but now there was nothing she could do to hide her age.

"I guess," Jake mumbled, but Lily drowned it out with, "I know. We need to visit more often. Unfortunately, we aren't here on very good news."

"Oh?" Ida's brow lifted as she looked at Suna. The dirty, blue-haired girl was gnawing on a rather bloody hangnail. Ida made a little face, and Lily almost snorted out loud. "I am Lady Ida Flaccus," she greeted, loudly so Suna knew she was being addressed. The girl looked up with a jerk, accidentally tearing off the flap of skin as she did. Remmy made a noise of disgust behind Ida.

Suna glanced at her fingernails before sticking out her left hand, knowing it was cleaner than her right. Ida gave it a long, cold stare before uncomfortably taking it.

"I'm Suna."

Ida gave her son and daughter-in-law a look that clearly said 'Where in Oblivion did you find this creature?', but it wasn't time to tell everything yet.

"A pleasure, miss," Ida said instead, bowing somewhat as she released Suna's hand. "Shall we go to the parlour then?" As they started toward the sitting room, Jake professed his exhaustion and vanished to the guest wing, leaving the children with Ida and Lily. Remmy hung back with Suna, of course, but Mallory stayed beside her grandmother, determined to avoid the blue-haired weirdo in their company.

Once they were in the warmth of the parlour, and Gograk had vanished only to return quickly with refreshments, Ida sat herself demurely across from Lily and asked, "So, tell me what's going on."

Lily looked across the room, where Rem and Suna were seated before the hearth. She was glad Suna's hair hadn't decided to change colour yet. That would've been strange to explain, and Lily didn't even understand it yet.

"Well," she said in a heavy sigh, "to start, she's the daughter of the Champion of Cyrodiil who sent Mehrunes Dagon back to Oblivion fifteen years ago."

Ida gawked at her with royal refine, before saying, "That is a very good start."

"No kidding," Lily muttered. Mallory made a choked noise, and Lily glanced up, knowing instantly that her daughter had covered up a laugh. Neither of them could behave themselves very well when they were around Ida together. That had been made quite clear during a dinner party fiasco when Mal was eight. Lily doubted Ida had ever really forgiven them for that.

"Anyways," she continued, leaning back in a plush armchair, "she lives in Mournhold, and came all the way here just to tell us that her father's been taken, and her mother needs help getting him back." Nobody else needed to know that the girl was clinically insane. "She's asked for our help, so we're going to take a pass across the mountains to reach the city as quickly as possible. We—Jake and I—thought we might stop here for a short visit and a plea for any help you might be able to give."

Ida nodded and tucked back a loose lock of silver hair. "Of course I can help. I wouldn't want any of you to freeze on your way over the Valus Mountains. They're incredibly cruel, especially during the spring melt. Blankets, coats, boots, gloves, hats, potions, scrolls…" She exhaled shortly through her nose and added, "Hm, a wagon. You'll have to risk it. A crate of food supplies. It could take a long time to get across the pass. It's a bad time of year. If you're lucky, someone else may be crossing it at the same time as you."

Lily watched and waited in silence. Gograk was called over for parchment and ink, which he readily supplied, and he began to write down everything his lady decided they would need to survive the mountain crossing and the trip across mainland Morrowind to reach Mournhold.

"Now, I don't know how long it took that girl to get here on her own." Ida broke off from her listing to glance at Lily, who had been absently making faces at her daughter. "Mm, canopy for the wagon, Gograk. But she was travelling alone. You will have two other children with you, as well as three animals. And Jake."

"Four animals," Mallory corrected.

Ida's mouth curled up. "All right, one priestess, three children and four animals. It will be quite the journey. Have you ever been to Morrowind before?" Ida waved her hand and Gograk perked up. "Tea, please, Gograk."

Lily shook her head and absently ran her fingers through the tangles in her hair. "I've never left Cyrodiil before. But Jake's been there, and Suna lives there. We won't get lost."

"Oh, I'm not worried about you getting lost. I'm just concerned. The terrain is rough, and travel will be slow. Just a warning."

"Thank you. For everything. I'm going to clean up and go to bed," Lily decided, climbing to her feet. "Mallory, make sure you, Rem and Suna get to bed at a decent time tonight. I don't want any of you to fall asleep tomorrow when we're heading for the pass."

Mallory's dark head bobbed as she nodded. "Yes, Mama."

"Goodnight, Ida." Lily stole another glance at the hearth, where Remmy was telling Suna all about the times he had escaped the farm at Cropsford to go to the Imperial City. Keeping quiet, she left the parlour and made her way down wide hallways lined with rich old tapestries depicting ancient battles and godly lore. Ida always outdid herself when it came to, well, everything. Décor, gifts, supplies even—there was no limit to Lady Ida's generosity and pocketbook.

Soon, she came to the guest room she and Jake always used when visiting. Her husband was already sprawled on the thick red quilts, and the air was warm and misty with steam. The door to the dressing room was open; he had already cleaned up.

Lily quickly did the same, scrubbing dirt and leaves from her hair. Once she was done, red-faced and clean, she wandered back into the bedroom wearing only a thick towel, with her wet hair plastered to her back.

Jake had rolled onto his front during her absence. All she could see of him that wasn't enveloped by crimson was his messy thatch of dark hair, sticking up in damp spikes around his head. Lily had never seen him with long hair again after he had to cut it short fifteen years ago. Though he always used to detest short hair, he claimed that long hair would get in the way of farm work, and he cut it every few months.

Lily slid beneath the blankets beside him and lightly fluffed up his hair, prompting him to groan and turn his face toward her. "Lil?"

"Sorry if I woke you up."

One eye cracked open, reddened and sleepy. "You didn't. Almost was asleep though. Is Mum gonna help us?" he mumbled, scooting toward him and resting his head on her chest.

"Mm-hm. She's giving us a whole caravan, pretty much. The only thing she didn't suggest was guards, but we don't need that. We should be all set to go by tomorrow morning." Lily cuddled him close and shut her eyes. Gooseflesh pricked her arms as the heat evaporated from her body, leaving her in the coolness of the room—the fire on the far wall was dying down, waiting to be stoked up by a servant.

Jake sighed sleepily. "Excited to see Marian again?"

"So excited," she agreed, smiling to herself. "I bet she's as beautiful as ever."

"Maybe dealing with two crazy kids made her lined and hideous. Won't know 'til we see her."

Lily lightly smacked his head. "Blasphemy. She'll always be gorgeous. Get some sleep, Jake. We have a mountain to climb."


	4. The pass

In Cyrodiil, it was often called Slave Pass. Captive persons kept in Morrowind who had escaped their plantations needed someplace to go, and it was widely known that slavery wasn't tolerated in Cyrodiil. That knowledge brought escapees to the heartland of the Empire all the time, and the pass had once been a popular spot for fleeing slaves. Until, at least, slavers took notice of it and set up blockades, restricting people from Morrowind from entering Cyrodiil.

The people of Morrowind called it the Outlander's Gateway, because it was the largest pass on the Cyrodiil-Morrowind border, and the Dunmer continually saw foreigner after foreigner migrate into their country. And since Dunmer were notorious for their hatred of foreigners, the Outlander's Gateway was not a loving nickname for the pass. Many Imperials were sure that the Dunmer prayed to their Almsivi that an avalanche would close off the pass once and for all.

Lily herself heard that the Outlander's Gateway was the more popular name, ever since the slave blockades started taking place several generations ago. It was the name she had always known it as. She was sure that the actual, historical name of the pass was forgotten by all but historians.

But certainly the name of the pass 'didn't matter for shit', as Jake so eloquently put it as soon as they reached the Valus Mountain range and started to slowly trek upwards. What mattered was that they were climbing the most inhospitable mountains in Cyrodiil.

Lily noticed he hadn't said where the most inhospitable mountains in _Tamriel_ were. She hoped it wasn't Morrowind, but with the country's less-than-sterling reputation…

But Ida had been right. The going was slow. Their heavy equipment and supplies were in the canvas-covered wagon she gave them, towed along by Martin, who was being steered by Jake. The bastard had looked so delighted to get off his feet and simply sit on the drivers' plank. Piggy and Mallory led the party, as her horse was young and strong. Suna still climbed on foot, with Lily, Remmy and Victoria coming up behind her, and Jake and Martin bringing up the rear.

It was already two days after they left Cheydinhal with their fresh supplies, and they still had a while to go before reaching the Outlander's Gateway.

Going. Was. Slow.

First Seed would probably end by the time they made it into Morrowind. It was already the eighteenth. Now would be a great time to turn into a bird to fly into Morrowind.

Another day passed. Still they climbed.

Trees thinned, their places being corrupted by fungi, mushrooms and tiny, skeletal shrubs. Barren rocks littered the rough path into the mountains. Icy breezes washed over them constantly. The hard-packed dirt began to look frozen as they went higher and higher in altitude, until finally there was frost blanketing everything.

Everyone was exhausted and irritable from the hike into the mountains. Nobody snapped at each other except Mallory and Remmy, but that was to be expected. They always snapped at each other.

But nobody noticed just how exhausted they were until the twenty-first of First Seed—the day Lily and Mallory realized they forgot to cast their daily detect life and repellent spells.

Very few creatures can survive in the Valus Mountains. Wolves are one of those very few.

Nobody saw them at first. They only noticed them because Piggy sensed them first, and he stepped backwards, nearly ploughing into Suna as he whinnied and snorted with panic.

Mallory, expert horsewoman, merely rubbed his neck and whispered comforting things to him. Lily watched with pride as her daughter's hands glowed briefly. Mallory had cast a calm spell on the terrified animal.

"What's got him so spooked?" Jake shouted up to her from the back of the train.

"I don't know!" she called back. Her voice was muffled from the wind and the heavy, fur-lined cloak she already insisted on wearing to block out the cold. "He's just all panicky for some reason!"

"You'll be fine, Mal," Lily contributed, tightening her grip around Remmy's waist. She'd been pondering all morning if she should deposit him in the wagon to make her riding less treacherous, but so far, he remained on Victoria. "Just keep going! Suna!"

The blue-haired girl glanced back at Lily and slowed her pace until Victoria caught up with her. "Aye, ma'am?"

Lily gave the girl a long, contemplative look. She wasn't showing any signs of heavy exhaustion just yet, even though she had so far completed the entire journey on foot while the rest of them rode. "Would you be able to go ahead of Mallory for a bit? Just to scope out a better path for walking on?"

One shoulder rose and fell. "Sure." Without another word, she ran ahead, hoping over loose, flat rocks and winding past lichen-drenched boulders. Watching her leap nimbly about, Lily dug her heels into Victoria's sides to urge the horse to close the gap between her and Piggy.

She was halfway there when Mallory's horse made a terrified grunt and abruptly stopped.

Frowning, Lily had her mouth open and was just about to ask why, when she heard Mallory's breathy, "Mama… wolves."

She could see them past Mallory and her horse, but she couldn't see them all. There were about five or six, thin, patchy and rather sickly-looking, but still wolves. Large and imposing, with a look of desperation and starvation in their golden gazes.

And they were right in front of her daughter. Eyeing her and her horse hungrily.

Taking in the hesitation, Lily's eyes roved upwards, where Suna had stopped bouncing about like a mountain goat. She was hunched over on her toes atop the flat part of a precariously perched boulder, her hands moving slowly to her side. The silver war axe glinted in the pale sunlight.

A shiver slid down Lily's spine, and it wasn't from the cold of the day.

"Remmy, when I tell you to, run for Dad and hide in the wagon. He'll protect you," Lily whispered to her son. Remmy couldn't defend himself adequately. He got that particular trait from Jake—well, he _could _defend himself, but it wouldn't work against wolves. Lily and Mallory however—born under the Mage and the Atronach respectively—were both well in-tune with Aetherius. Lily had trained Mallory at a young age to tap into the magical realm and summon Magicka to her fingertips. The only downside? Those born under the Atronach had a very difficult time _keeping up _their magical attacks, and it drained them easily. Magicka didn't automatically return to them like it did with everyone else. They had to _work _at it.

But they had Suna. And Suna had an axe.

Lily glanced at the girl again, and noticed she was creeping down the mountainside toward the wolves, which in turn had begun stalking toward Piggy and Mallory. They weren't close enough to leap yet, thank Akatosh. They had a little time left.

Moving as quickly and silently as she could, and keeping her eyes locked on Suna's little boyish form, Lily grabbed up Remmy beneath his armpits—gods, the kid was getting _heavy_—and neatly deposited him on the dirt beside the horse. "Get to the wagon, Rem. _Now_," she hissed, and heard him scamper away.

The noise was enough for the wolves to begin snapping and snarling, and then one jumped.

Suna let out a growl and slammed into its side before it could chase after the smallest and most easily catchable prey. She and the wolf tumbled to the ground and began to roll down the slope. They were stopped after a short venture by a large, spindly bush.

Inspired by their comrade, the rest of the wolves began to charge. Two instantly ran toward Lily, two began circling Piggy and Mallory, and the remainder jumped between the riders and the wagon, where Jake was valiantly poking at them with a stick.

Keeping on her horse's back, Lily tugged on the reins and urged her terrified steed up to Mallory's. After quickly dousing Victoria in a very strong calm spell, and doing the same for Piggy, she pulled an arc of lightning from Aetherius and shot it at the wolves surrounding her. The prickle of destructive magic made her fingers tingle, but the thrill of being able to attack something freely again made her heart pump and her cheeks flush with delight. She hadn't been in a real fight since the Daedric Invasion.

The shocked wolves collapsed, whimpering, but the rest snarled and growled, snapping at the horses' legs. Lily pulled Victoria away from the mess and sent a small but hot ball of fire toward two of the ones still standing. Their dry fur immediately caught and burst into flames. The stink of burning flesh filled the air as they screamed and writhed in agony.

Beside her, Mallory sent a powerful gust of command creature toward the ones who were running back toward the wagon to harass the boys. They immediately stopped and turned around to attack their fellow wolves.

The two wolves that Lily had set afire lay collapsed on the ground, quite dead. Four left, then.

A bright patch of hellish scarlet caught Lily's eye, and she looked away for a split second to see Suna jogging back to the battleground. She was limping—there was a large bloody gash in her leg—but she wore the mask of a warrior on her young, scarred face. The shining silver war axe was gripped tightly in her hands, dripping dark blood to the ground as she moved.

Three killed.

The creatures had finally abandoned their quest to attack the boys at the wagon, and were circling the three women. Mallory grunted as she tossed an icy frost spell at them. Sweat beaded her forehead and she was panting with the effort of using her pitiful reserve of Magicka. Mallory had the promise of a powerful mage if Lily ever saw one, but she didn't know how to control the negativity around being an Atronach.

Whiteness clung to the wolves' fur like icing sugar as the frost spell smacked into them, and they hesitated, but didn't stop from biting at the horses' legs. It took two more strong calm spells to keep Victoria and Piggy from booking it into the brush.

Just as Lily was bringing another fireball to her fingertips, Suna shoved forward and violently swung her axe. It moved with an unnatural grace that belied her youth. Although she looked like a festive holiday tree with her bright green eyes and blood red locks, she was nothing of the sort as the sharpened edge of her axe buried deep in one wolf's ribs. The animal howled with pain and its eyes misted over. It writhed about, trying to dislodge the weapon and get its teeth into the thing that attacked it.

Without waiting, Suna wrenched the axe from its side and brought it over her shoulder, bringing it down hard on the wolf's back. The spine cracked with a sickening, wet crunch, and it immediately went still.

As she turned toward one of the remaining two, Lily almost forgot that they were fighting for their lives. Behind her, Mallory cried out as she was weakened by her birthsign, but she valiantly cast another destructive spell. Suna viciously beat down her opponent, though it snapped at her all the way down to its death.

Finally, all six were dead.

As soon as it was done, Suna collapsed on the ground beside her most recent kill, her axe slipping from her hands. Blood was still oozing from the wound on her thigh. Mallory instantly slid off her horse, panting and gasping as she dropped to her knees beside the Manic. Lily watched in blank, shocked silence as her exhausted daughter shuffled up to Suna's side, dragging her dress in the dirt, blood and rocks.

She never expected to see Mallory lay her trembling, pale hands on Suna's leg, around her deep, bloody scratch and pushed hard. Suna grunted and dug her teeth into her lip, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain. Blood flowed with increased fervour from the wound. Breathing quickly and shallowly, Mallory's hands glowed a brief, bright silver-blue, and she pressed them against the open cut. The bleeding slowed. Suna pushed herself up with one elbow and gawked at what Mallory was doing, her chest still heaving as they pumped oxygen into her lungs. Squeezing her eyes shut, Mallory's hands brightened, and then she suddenly flopped, ragdoll, at Suna's side.

Helplessly, Suna peered up at Lily. Her hair was rapidly changing from vicious red to its regular electric blue. "Is she okay?" she croaked.

Though her limbs felt like goo, Lily dismounted Victoria and hobbled over to the girls. She quickly felt Mallory's forehead, and exhaled slowly. "She's only gone unconscious. It happens sometimes, when she overworks herself." At Suna's incredulous expression, Lily added with a weak, trembling smile, "The month she's born in. It doesn't let her regenerate Magicka like I can."

Suna's mouth moved in a soundless "Oh" as she leaned back. Lily quickly finished patching up the girl's wound with her own magic, and was pleased when she saw that Mallory had nearly fixed it all herself. Once she was finished with Suna's leg, she checked for anymore injuries on both girls, then the horses—the wolves had done their damage, but nothing was so bad that Lily couldn't heal it immediately—before she ran back to the wagon. Remmy was curled up in Jake's lap, watching over his arm with wide blue eyes. Jake merely looked bored.

"Quite the adventure, huh?" Lily said, smiling awkwardly as she approached. "Is everyone all right here?"

"Just fine and dandy. How's Mal?" Jake asked, his dark gaze flicking briefly to their unconscious daughter.

Lily glanced back and almost laughed when she saw Suna delicately poking Mallory's arm, as if to check if she was asleep. "She's fine. She just used too many spells for her level. She healed Suna and conked out."

"I saw." Jake still wasn't looking at her, and Lily turned to follow his gaze. Suna had given up poking Mallory and was huddled on her knees, pulling an old, grotesque cloth from her backpack. With slow, steady, deliberate movements, she began to clean the blood off her axe. Jake exhaled slowly. "She really is Baran's kid, isn't she?"

Lily's jaw tightened at the sight. Suna, blue head bent over her work, and the blood staining her axe pink before she scrubbed it away. "No fourteen year old should have to fight like that," she murmured. Shaking herself out of her reverie, she turned back to her men. Remmy was watching Suna as well, with wide, scared eyes. "You all right too, Rem?"

He nodded slowly and untangled himself from Jake's lap. "Yeah, I'm okay. They didn't get me. Can we go home now?" he pleaded quietly, his voice a small whimper.

Lily sighed softly and stepped onto the edge of the drivers' plank. Remmy immediately scooted over and clung to her, and she leaned her cheek on his soft thatch of copper hair, hugging him tight. "It'll be okay, Remmy. Once we're in the pass, it won't take too long to cross into Morrowind and get to Mournhold." They were already over a week into travelling, and they still had a long way to go before they even touched the Outlander's Gateway. And then they had to trek all the way across Morrowind to reach the capital of Almalexia, then gain entrance to Mournhold from there. But she didn't tell Rem that. There was no point, if he was already homesick.

"How long is—" the twelve year old started to ask, but stopped when Suna marched over to them, industriously scrubbing blood from her worn leather armour.

"We've got to keep going," she announced, peering between the two adults. Her makeup had smudged during the fight; there was a long streak of black running down one cheek. "Y'know, the nights get cold real fast up here. We'll want a fire before long. Oh, your daughter's awake," she added as she turned and began to jog back to the front of the trail. Sure enough, Mallory was sitting up, leaning against a rock and cradling her head.

Lily hopped off the wagon and crossed her arms, huffing softly. "She's going in the wagon with you. Rem, up for a little riding?" As the boy screeched with sudden delight and lunged off the wagon, she hurried after him and called, "You have to stay close to me, you hear me?"

By the time Mallory was helped into the back of the wagon, snug between two bundles of blankets, and Rem was firmly seated on Victoria—he had never ridden Piggy before, and that wasn't about to change on an adventure in the great Valus outback—Suna returned from… wherever she had gone to.

Seeing the blue hair flounce back into view against the bland backdrop of the mountains and hearing the potions clink together in her backpack, Lily looked up just as Suna scrabbled down the mountainside. Distracted momentarily from adjusting Piggy's stirrups, she stared at the girl in blankness.

"Were you just gone?" she asked incredulously.

Suna nodded and drummed her fingers on her axe, which was once again in its home at her hip. "There's a level area a ways up. It's not very sheltered, but whatever. We could camp there."

Lily frowned up at the sky. Grey, but the sun still shone. "It's only late afternoon," she sighed, looking back down at the girl. "We could go so much farther yet."

"Not with him dragging her along in the wagon," she pointed out, gesturing to Jake and Mallory with her chin. "Er, at least, that's my profesh opinion. Do whatever you think's best."

Lily gave the girl a narrow look as she began to climb up the steepening slope. They could travel for hours yet, not stop a half hour up the mountain.

They ended up spending the night there anyways.

—

A small wooden cabin marked the official entry to the Outlander's Gateway. It was the last haven before a treacherous traverse through the infamous mountain pass—the last place a traveller could rest before the real journey began.

Mallory was the first one to spot it, midmorning on the twenty-third of First Seed.

"Is it just an abandoned shack?" Remmy asked, his voice almost unintelligible through the scarf wrapped around his head. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, and icy gusts of wind shot down from the mountaintops. First Seed was nearing an end, and yet there they were, dressed like it was the middle of Evening Star. Fetching ridiculous, if you asked a certain red-haired ex-priestess.

"I don't know, Rem. I've never been here before." Lily let go of her son for just a minute to ferociously rub her runny nose with her sleeve. The shirt was well beyond repair anyways. Might as well be a little disgusting in it before she had to burn it to Oblivion.

Suna skipped along beside them, her alchemy tools clanking loudly together. Lily figured she must have put some spell on them, or the delicate instruments and vials would have surely broken by now. "It's an inn, actually," she pointed out, kicking snow in front of her. "Some old Dark Elf guy runs it. Says he's been there since the blockade began, but I dunno if I believe him."

"The slave blockade?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Lily pointed out, "Elves live for a very long time. He could be telling the truth. Now, if an Imperial said he'd been there since the blockade began, you would've been well within your rights to accuse him of escaping the Shivering Isles."

Suna obviously caught the jab at her people. "Hey, we're not all stupid crazy. _I'm _not."

Even Rem gave his idol a long, blank stare. When he opened his mouth to speak, Lily nudged him discreetly in the back. No need to be rude when everybody else already knew she _was _stupid crazy.

"Well, even if the man is insane," Lily intervened before the redhead and the blue-head could get into an argument, "we're staying there for the rest of the day and the night. We need to rest before going through the pass."

Remmy bounced in his seat and gave a little cheer. "Finally! I can barely walk alone anymore!"

Lily smiled ruefully and shifted in the saddle. "I know what you mean."

Soon, they made it to the inn. To their luck, there was a small covered stable behind the ancient, snow-covered shack. Lily gratefully dismounted, but as soon as she helped Remmy down, he immediately scooped up a handful of snow and pelted it at Suna. It missed and smacked Martin's side instead. The horse grunted and gave the boy a long stare.

And then, of course, Suna retaliated by whipping a more expertly designed snowball at Rem, hitting him square in the nose. Somehow, even Mallory got involved, and Jake and Lily had to quickly lead the horses and themselves out of the war zone before they got caught up in it as well.

Hiding underneath the shelter of the stable, Lily stood and watched the children for a moment as Jake began to unload what they would need overnight. Shaking her head and rubbing her thighs, she turned around to take care of the horses. "I think my legs are going to be permanently bowed," she announced grimly as she loosened saddles. "I am so sore."

"Don't worry, there won't be a lot of riding once we're in the pass," Jake mentioned conversationally. He grunted as he hoisted a heavy bag over his shoulder. Lily arched an eyebrow at him and he smirked. "It can get pretty narrow in places, Lil. I'm honestly not surprised Suna came here by foot."

Lily tried not to let her jaw drop. "And we're supposed to bring a wagon through there?" she demanded harshly.

Jake rolled his eyes and slapped her shoulder with his free hand. "That's when we unload the wagon, flip it sideways, drag it through and load it again."

Lily was sure her eye twitched. Jake snorted with laughter when he looked at her.

"I'm kidding! Gods, you have no sense of humour anymore. I'm kidding still," he added, seeing her eye-twitch turn into a dangerous glower. "No, by narrow, I mean the horses tend to get nervous. You could still ride them through, but they wouldn't be too pleased about it. Especially Piggy. You know how he gets."

"Well, so long as we make it through alive and well, I don't care how narrow it is. Shall we go inside then?" Helping with the bags of bedding and some food, she led the way back out of the stables. "Come on, kids, we're going inside."

Remmy whooped and jogged to the front of the building, with Suna and Mallory following.

"I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again," Jake moaned, trudging along beside Lily. "Rocks hurt."

"Even when dampened by blankets?" Lily pushed through the children and opened the door, glad that they hadn't rushed in before her and ruined first impressions. Last thing they needed was the owner kicking them out to sleep in the snow. Warmth from a fire blasted her as soon as she opened the door. Sighing with relief as the heat warmed her sore, frozen legs, Lily stepped inside. From what she could see, it was a one-room building. A counter and small fire were at the opposite end of the room, with baskets and crates along the wall. A larger hearth with a crackling fire was nearby, and before it was a plain wooden table with several chairs. Lily smiled. It was perfect.

An aged Dunmer man was sitting in one of the chairs, absently carving a piece of wood. He looked up at their entry, his red eyes bloodshot and rather lifeless. Nonetheless, he pulled his leathered cheeks upwards in a welcoming smile. "Hello."

"Hello. I'm Lily Bercarius, and this is my husband, Jake," Lily introduced quickly after making room for the others to get inside. "Is this an inn?"

He nodded slowly, as if pained. "You heard right. Only five gold septims per person for the night, if you want. I'm Drevlyn." Slowly, he put the wood and knife on the table and held up a shaky, veined hand. Lily shook it warmly and definitely believed that he had been around for the slave blockade. He definitely looked old enough. She wondered absently if he was one of the last escaped slaves to make it across the pass before the Dark Elf slavers started the blockade. She doubted it, since the Dunmer weren't too keen to enslave their own kind, but it was possible.

After Jake shook the old man's hand as well, he set his bags on the floor and gestured to the kids, who had all lined up and stayed silent. Somehow. "This is Mallory and Reman, our kids, and a friend of the family, Suna." Remmy stuck out his tongue, disgusted that his father had referred to him by his full middle name. Lily smiled to herself. Remmy or Rem was what he preferred to be called. He was only Reman for strangers, and he was always Jacob when he was in trouble. It was sometimes so easy to forget that his name wasn't _actually _Reman.

"A pleasure to meet you all. And to see you again," he added, nodding at Suna. "You want food, I can supply it. Five gold per person, just like the rooms."

Lily helped Jake hoist up the bags as the kids wandered further into the room to explore. As the adults moved them away from the door, Lily heard Remmy pipe up, "Why's it so cheap for everything here?"

She heard Jake sigh, and she glanced his way to see him roll his eyes. Figures that their son would say something extremely rude.

The Dunmer man merely laughed and set his carving on the table. "Nobody comes through here much. They'd never come through if it was expensive. This way, I'm helping promote tourism into Morrowind," he added slyly, with a wink for the boy.

Remmy nodded and smiled. He only had a vague inkling of the Cyrodiil-Morrowind relationship, but he knew enough to understand that the people of Morrowind didn't like outsiders.

"Mama," Mallory called. "Where are the rooms?"

Lily looked around, seeing no doors or stairs that would lead to a separate part of the house. Perplexed, she merely shrugged at her daughter. "Suna?" she asked, glancing toward the blue-haired girl, who was idly looking at a painting on the wall.

"Downstairs," she replied absently.

Lily and Jake shared a confused glanced, but Drevlyn confirmed this when he coughed and croaked, "Through the trap door to the cellar. It's behind the counter over there. Got the idea from the Nords," he added, seeing confusion etched all over Remmy's face. "They build their houses so living quarters are underground. Preserves heat. Head on down whenever you want."

The family gratefully took him up on his offer. Lugging the bags over, Lily and Jake waited for the children to find and open the trap door and climb down. Of course, there would be a ladder instead of stairs, so they had to make an assembly line to get the bags downstairs. Once it was done and everybody was down, Lily noticed they stood in a short hallway with three doors. One was closed—was there another visitor?—but the other two were open, inviting them in.

"It looks like you three have to share a room," Lily said, gesturing to the kids.

Remmy immediately made a face. "Ew, Mum, I don't want to stay the night with _Mallory_."

Mallory seemed to agree, though her expression was flat. "I think I deserve privacy."

Jake barked out a laugh and ruffled her long waves, making her slap his hand away. "Ha, Mal, I think Mum and I are the ones who deserve privacy. You're sleeping with the other children, got it?"

The brunette girl grimaced, but she obediently went into the room after Suna and Remmy.

Lily smirked as Jake started to drag the remaining bags to the other room. "Thanks for that."

"I'm just being selfish, Lil. No need to thank me." Jake pushed open the door to their room and sighed heavily. "Well, this is it."

The room was tiny and quite simple, but Lily really hadn't expected much more than that. There was a small bed pushed into one corner, and a table opposite. Everything was simple old wood, except the hearth, which was lined in stone from the nearby mountains.

"Quaint," Lily remarked, lifting the bags onto the table. "It's perfect."

"I know. A real bed. Which I call," he added, grinning. "There's only room for one on there."

Lily rolled her eyes and punched his arm, making him laugh. "Bull. If anyone's going to be sleeping on there alone, it'll be me. I am the lady, after all."

"Some lady you are." Jake flopped onto the old straw mattress and peered up at her. "You've got snot stains on your sleeves."

"Oh, _pssh_. That's inconsequential." Lily sat down beside him and instantly felt the tension in her legs ease. "Ooh, that's nice. Sitting on something other than a horse or a rock for the first time in ages."

"Got something against rocks?"

"I know you do."

Their idle conversation was interrupted when their door creaked open and Mallory's head poked in. Her dark brows were drawn together almost nervously, and she was absently biting the inside of her cheek.

"What's up, Mal?" Jake asked conversationally.

"Um, Papa, there's somebody in the room beside ours that wants to talk to you." Mallory sounded just as confused as she looked. "None of us have seen her before."

Hearing the concern in her daughter's voice, Lily instantly glared at her husband. "Who's this '_her_' nobody's seen before?" she demanded.

Jake blanched. "Whoa, calm down and stop jumping to conclusions. I'll go see what's up, okay?"

"No. You aren't going anywhere. Mallory, get her _here_," Lily snapped.

Mallory nodded and scurried off, leaving them alone once more. They could hear the childrens' voices in the room beside theirs; Remmy sounded scared, but Suna just sounded bored.

"So who is it?" Lily asked.

"Hell, Lil, you've seen me every day since we got married," Jake groaned. "Even if I wanted to, how could I possibly have cheated on you?"

"Not every day. What about the times when you vanished in the first few years? Or when you had to chase Rem to the Imperial City?"

"Relax. Jeez. I've given you no reason to freak out like—"

"Sorry to interrupt," a low, feline voice purred from the door. Lily and Jake both glanced up to see a familiar, little amber Khajiit standing in the doorway, her tail swishing almost happily. "It's been a long time."

"Luke," Jake said, stunned. "What're you doing here?"

Lily looked between the newcomer and her husband. All throughout their marriage, she had seen the Khajiit no more than three times, and those visits had been in the early years, when the Cheydinhal sanctuary of the Dark Brotherhood was falling apart—nobody had yet confirmed Lucrezia was part of the dark family, but Lily suspected it. And after fifteen years, Lily _still _didn't know how Jake and Lucrezia knew each other.

"I was sent from the City," the Khajiit intoned quietly. Her yellow gaze flicked down the hallway, and she took a few steps into the room. "I've been here for a few days already, waiting for you."

"We took a detour to Cheydinhal. What's up?"

"He got your letter," Lucrezia said. Her amber eyes moved over Lily, and she hesitated. "Does she know?" she asked, obviously directing the question to Jake, despite who she was staring at.

"About me? Yeah. Not you."

"Tell me, or I can leave to give you your privacy," Lily said, trying not to sound demanding.

Jake cast Lucrezia a long look. "It's your call, Luke."

The cat's whiskers twitched. "I am also a member of the Thieves Guild," she admitted, looking at Lily. "I met Jake the same day I met you, when you were attacked in your father's home fifteen years ago. I was new to the guild then—the Fox had sent me to find Jake so I would know the more higher ranking members of the guild."

"Oh. Okay." Lily settled back, satisfied. She had suspected something of the sort, and it was nice actually hearing the truth of it.

Looking relieved to be able to speak freely, Lucrezia said, "He got your letter about a week after you sent it off. He figured you would be taking Slave Pass into Morrowind, and had me come here to meet you. I've been here for a few days, waiting."

"Why? Does he want you to come with us? 'Cause this isn't guild business, Luke. It's personal."

"I know. But he didn't want to send out a letter to you. He hates encrypting. I'm his letter."

Jake smiled and shook his head. "Figures. What's he want?"

"He told me to tell you that he's warned the guild halls in Morrowind about your coming," Lucrezia said softly, too quietly for the children to overhear. They didn't know about Jake's past with thieves, and Lily wasn't keen on _letting _them know, especially since Remmy already had a knack for it. "If you ever need the help of fellow thieves, it won't be hard to find them."

Lily saw Jake try to hold back a grin. "Great. Last time I was in Morrowind, I was only a Footpad, and gods, they were _mean_."

Lucrezia made a sound that had to be the feline equivalent to laughter. "I am only a Prowler; higher ranking thieves are always cruel. At least you are a Master now."

Lily jerked and frowned at her husband. "Master? Last I heard, you were still a Shadowfoot."

Jake smiled awkwardly, and Lucrezia piped up, "He was promoted to Master Thief after J'baana and Fathis Ules were killed about…" She paused to think, a little frown decorating her forehead.

"Seven years ago," Jake said immediately. "Well, J'baana was killed seven years ago. Fathis was killed just after the Daedric Invasion ended."

Lily gawked at him. "You've been a Master Thief for seven years, and I didn't know."

He looked away, uncomfortable, and Lucrezia said, "He is second in command to the Gray Fox alone."

Lily stared at Jake, unwavering. "I didn't even know you were still in close contact with them. Have you been stealing for him all this time?"

"To be fair, I haven't done anything for the Fox in two years. But yeah, I'm in contact with them. Enough to know that only eleven of the thieves I knew are still alive today. The majority of them were killed or imprisoned by Hieronymus Lex ages ago." Jake's voice softened at first, but hardened again as he said the watch captain's name. Lily bit her lip, knowing not to press it further; she knew how much Jake despised Lex for shutting him away fifteen years ago, and marrying his little sister.

"Who?" she dared to ask.

Jake glanced at Lucrezia. "Of the ones you know… Luke, me, the Fox, and Methredhel. Plus some others that you've never met." His mouth twisted somewhat, and he added harshly, "Ongar's dead."

"Are you still upset about that?"

Jake shook his head quickly. "No. He died of a heart attack. Just like Methredhel said he would. But none of this matters."

"Right." Lily slumped back and crossed her arms. She didn't care that he was in the Thieves Guild. He'd been with them since he was, what was it, sixteen? At forty-four, he had been under the Fox's protection for nearly thirty years.

"Is that it, Luke?"

The Khajiit's ears flattened the slightest bit. "No." Her tone was flat and careful.

Lily knew it was her cue to leave.

"Fine, I'm going." She stood and wound past Lucrezia to head for the door. "Make it quick, please," she said as she left the room and shut the door behind her.

To her surprise, the kids weren't in their room anymore, and the hatch to the main level of the inn was open. Climbing up the ladder, Lily poked her head out of the trapdoor to see the three of them seated by the fire with Drevlyn, listening to something the old Dark Elf was saying.

"… a plantation on Vvardenfell. I was owned by a monster of House Telvanni, the leading supporters of slavery in Morrowind," Drevlyn croaked as Lily tuned into what was going on. "Vvardenfell wasn't so densely populated then, which made it hard to escape and _stay _escaped. But I broke free of my pen in the Telvanni district, crossed the ashlands and marshes to the south, and stowed on a boat to the mainland. Once I made it that far, I was nearly home free."

"You didn't get caught?" Remmy asked, awed.

"Obviously not," the old man said with a heavily lined smile. "My masters nearly caught me three times on my trek across Vvardenfell, but once I was in the mainland, it was much more difficult for them to find me. I made it to the pass after months of travelling, and was one of the last escaped slaves to make it safely through the pass into Cyrodiil before the blockades began."

"And you just started up an inn, right there?" Mallory asked, dumfounded.

Drevlyn chuckled. "No, not right away. This was an Imperial garrison outpost for a while. It's since been fixed up, of course… but about fifty years after I escaped, they abandoned the post. I took it up, fixed it, and started running it as an inn. Not a lot of business, but that isn't the point. The odd slave still tries to come to Cyrodiil this way."

Remmy looked up and caught sight of his mother, watching from the hatch. "Isn't that so cool, Mum?"

Lily smiled, and tried to tune out the hushed drone of Jake and Lucrezia's conversation downstairs. "Very cool, Rem." She climbed out of the trapdoor and wandered up to the table where they all sat. "The world must have been so different then."

"Lily Laroque, ever the priestess and historian," Mallory muttered, and Remmy giggled. Suna just rolled her eyes.

Drevlyn ignored the remark. Turning his bloodshot crimson eyes to her, he smiled and murmured, "Aye, a very different world. That was back when the Almsivi was young and powerful, and all was peaceful in Morrowind."

A frown decorated Lily's face, and she noticed Suna turn her face away, her eyes cast to the floor. Giving Drevlyn a hard stare, she asked, "Have things changed?"

"The Empire is a wounded creature, sera," the Dark Elf said sadly. "The de facto government Ocato is leading won't survive much longer. Diplomats from Black Marsh and Elsweyr are ignoring calls to the Elder Council and exhibiting signs of secession. Our Empire will be crushed within decades."

"And that's affecting the Almsivi?" Mallory asked. Ever curious about the world outside Cropsford, she had read all of her mother's old books from the family farm during her childhood, and even started getting books from her grandmother. She was even more knowledgeable about the goings-on of the Empire than her parents.

"Of course." Drevlyn absently pulled a wooden pipe from his pocket and fiddled with the bowl. "Almalexia and Sotha Sil are dead. Everyone knows, after that Nerevarine bullshit started twenty-one years ago, that the Tribunal is dying, just like the Empire. Only Vivec is left, and he's mortal now." He finished packing the bowl and held the pipe to his lips. "Get me a lit twig from the fire, will you?" he asked, nudging his head at Remmy.

Watching as the boy obediently did as he was told, Lily remarked, "Supporter of the Tribunal, are you?"

Drevlyn chuckled dryly and lit the pipe with the fiery twig Remmy brought back. "Heh, it's all I ever knew. So yes. I was furious when I heard that the Nerevarine destroyed the Heart of Lorkhan. Without those three, Morrowind is just going to plunge straight into darkness."

"But Dagoth Ur is dead too," Mallory pointed out. "It's balanced."

Lily grimaced. Sadly, her daughter didn't know that you never insulted the Almsivi—even remotely—in front of a staunch supporter. It could only end up badly.

Drevlyn scowled and said nothing at first. After taking a long drag on his pipe, he muttered, "Letting one devil die gives room for another to rise. The Nerevarine was only the start to the problems this Empire will have."

"I heard," Lily said, giving Mallory a stern look, "during the Daedric Invasion, that Vivec had just disappeared."

"Of course he did," grunted their host. "He's mortal. He didn't want to be killed by the Daedra. He went into hiding until all was finished. They had their problems in Morrowind too, you know, same with the rest of Tamriel. Cyrodiil wasn't the only place affected by the Oblivion Gates."

"I didn't know that."

"I get a lot of information from travellers," he admitted, shrugging and sighing softly. "Not saying you're not educated, sera; you just don't have access to the same things I do. I'm not surprised you didn't hear about this."

Lily drummed her fingers on the table. "Well, I knew the government wasn't doing so well. I just didn't know it was this serious."

Drevlyn's eyes shut and he nodded slowly. "It is this serious."

"You knew all of this?" Lily asked, turning to Suna.

The girl nodded. "Of course. I live in Mournhold. King Helseth tries, but there's only so much he can do." She sighed and shrugged. "It's not my home, but I care."

They fell silent after her words, and the cabin was quiet enough for them to hear the beginnings of a storm rise up outside.

Drevlyn exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair so it creaked. "Hope that storm doesn't last."

Lily leaned her cheek on her palm and stared into the fire. "Me too."


	5. The duchy of insanity

"My lady," a voice murmured respectfully after the yawning swish of a summoned creature filled the room. "I fear I must interrupt."

She looked up from the suit of armour piled on the floor at her feet. Rather, it was two suits of armour—and a seven year old boy with ash brown hair falling into his face was picking up pieces of each set, toying with them like they were playthings.

"What is it, Staada?" she asked, brushing her long, pale blonde hair out of her eyes.

The aureal tilted her chin upward, so the light caught the gilt drenching her person. "I bear a message from your daughter." Her warm, golden brown eyes flickered down to the floor, where the boy had picked up a piece of jagged, brown-grey armour—a gauntlet, from the looks of things—and stuck it on his little hand. Clearing her throat and adjusting to stand at attention before her lady, Staada said, "She entered Abasel av Pellani this morning."

A bubble of hope burst and blossomed in her chest. "So she is all right. Does she have companions?"

"Four, my lady."

"Did she say who?"

The boy suddenly dropped the gauntlet to the floor with a loud clank. "Is it Suna, Mummy? Mummy, is Suna coming home now?" He looked around with wide green eyes, as if expecting his sister to pop out of the walls of the manor.

"She will be home soon, Sheo," his mother promised. She stood gracefully and her long blonde waves slipped off her shoulder to spill down her back. "Dylora."

The wall beside the door to the parlour shimmered, and suddenly an indigo woman wearing skimpy armour came into sight. "Yes, Lady Marian?"

The duchess smiled distantly at the suddenly-visible mazken. "Could you take Sheo to his room?"

The dark seducer bowed. "Of course, my lady. Come, little prince."

Sheo got to his feet at Dylora's call, but he hesitated. Marian watched him sadly; he looked torn between continuing to play with her armour and wishing his sister was home. She doubted he even realized his father was gone, since the Prince of Madness had to return to the Shivering Isles every once and a while to check up on things.

"Mummy…" he whimpered, hopping over to his mother and clinging to her skirts. "I miss Suna."

"I miss her too, Sheo. Go with Dylora. I will be with you soon."

He nodded dejectedly, his lips jutting out in a childish pout. "Yes, Mummy."

Marian waited until her son left with the mazken before sighing heavily and sitting cross-legged in front of the armour. So much for polishing it. And he had scattered them around, so Blade gear was mixed in with her grandmother's armour from Dementia. "What did Suna say, Staada?"

"She travels with a Lily, a Mallory, and two Jacobs."

Marian frowned and picked up the Demented gauntlet Sheo had been playing with. "What exactly did she say?"

"To tell you she has entered Abasel av Pellani with Lily Bercarius, Mallory Bercarius, Jacob Bercarius the Sixth, and Jacob Bercarius the Seventh." The aureal hesitated a moment and asked, "Are they who you asked her to find, my lady?"

A heavy breath billowed from her lungs, and she gripped the gauntlet tightly in her hands. "Yes. They must be. Baran and I always presumed Lily and Jacob would marry one day. Mallory and the Seventh must be their children."

Staada was silent for a long moment. Her golden armour ground together as she moved toward the Duchess of Mania. "My lady… you have not yet grieved."

Marian blinked slowly and continued to gaze sightlessly at the gauntlet in her hands. "I have nothing to grieve for. He is alive."

He _is alive_, she told herself yet again. This was just like the times when he went to the Madhouse, leaving her with Suna and Sheo to look after. They always told their Tamrielic neighbours that he was in Cyrodiil for business. They all swallowed up the lie as greedily as they could. In any case, it was possible that he _had _just gone to the Isles…

"Staada," Marian murmured, gently lowering the gauntlet beside its companions, "can you check the palace in New Sheoth just—"

"Lady Marian," the golden saint said, probably too sternly for a servant, "I and the other aureals and mazken have searched New Sheoth and the Shivering Isles as carefully as we possibly can. The Prince is not there. And of that, we are certain."

The duchess nodded and bowed her head. Her hair fell over her face, and she absently pushed it away. "We shall find him when Suna comes home with Lily and Jake," she murmured.

Staada pursed her lips tightly together and gave a short nod. "You have not yet grieved," she murmured again, and flickered from sight.

—

Two weeks of treacherous and exhausting travel brought them through the Outlander's Gateway. Two weeks of hiking through snowdrifts and urging the horses onward through narrow valleys. Two weeks of listening to a twelve year old boy and fourteen year old girl whine and complain about how tired they were, or how sore, or how cold.

Suna never complained. In fact, after hearing Remmy profess his own ailments, she calmly told him to keep quiet, as they had a long time to go yet before they reached Morrowind.

Sadly, the adults of the party weren't as calm as the Manic girl. Jake and Lily frequently lost their tempers at each other or the children. Jake even once shouted himself hoarse at the animals as they got the wagon stuck in an extremely narrow part of the pass.

But everyone's tempers vanished as they finished trekking along a widening part of the pass, where the snow began to thin and the hard-packed earth beneath began to make itself visible.

It was around this time when Suna pointed out conversationally that they were in the last leg of the Outlander's Gateway.

Two weeks, and they were nearly out of food. Two weeks, and their clothes wouldn't dry unless Lily and Mallory spent several hours coating them with weak fire destruction spells. And nobody wanted to waste the time just to have dry garments.

But on the sixth of Rain's Hand, the party of travellers reached the end of the Outlander's Gateway when they spotted several tents and cabins, and armed men patrolling the expanse of the pass opening. Snow and dead plants crunched beneath their boots as they wandered about, laughing and joking with each other, and the crackles and snaps of fires made the travellers' frozen hearts melt.

"We're in Morrowind," Suna said, rather pointlessly. But at her words, Remmy gave a shriek of delight and bounced on his spot in front of Lily, and Mallory hunched in her saddle, muttering something thankful toward Akatosh under her breath.

"Mum, Mum, Mum," Remmy chanted, turning awkwardly to grin at his mother. "Lemme down, I want to walk now."

Lily kept a wary eye on the men they slowly approached. "Suna," she called, just loud enough for the girl to hear without any of the strangers noticing, "who are these men?"

"Slavers," the blue-haired girl replied without preamble. "This is the main blockade from Morrowind into Cyrodiil."

Lily's fists clenched on Victoria's reins. "You are _not _dismounting, Rem," she murmured. One of the men had noticed them—typically, a Dunmer male—and gestured toward them with a long bone-like bow.

"Hey!" one of the slavers called. He was a tall, scarred Dark Elf with a black tattoo spiked across one side of his face. He started hiking toward them through the snow, his hand resting on a longsword at his hip. "What's your business going into Morrowind?"

"We're visiting family," Lily said, before someone—notably her husband—could shout something stupid that could get them killed. "We've travelled from the Imperial City, and we intend to go the rest of the way to Mournhold."

The Dunmer jerked his chin at several of his companions—all of whom were _also _Dunmeri. "They got a wagon. Check it."

Mallory's steed pawed awkwardly as the slavers stomped past her. Remmy hunched back into Lily's arms, shivering with fright. Lily could see Suna's scarred up fingers tapping her silver axe.

"Hey," Jake protested as they marched over to him. "You've got no right to search our shit."

"N'wah," one of them snarled as he crunched up to the wagon bed. "You're foreigners in _our _land, Imperial scum. Don't like it, go back to your precious heartland."

Jake's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he managed to hold his tongue as the slavers rifled through the things in the wagon. Blankets, pillows, limp sacks of food—all were tossed carelessly onto the snow.

"May I ask something?" Lily called, pulling on the reins to turn her horse. Rage filled her upon seeing their precious, meagre supplies being strewn about so nonchalantly. Biting her lip, she used a calm spell on herself and felt the anger recede somewhat.

One of the men glanced her way, and his piercing red eyes remained locked on her for a long, menacing moment before he continued tossing things around. "Go ahead."

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

A middle-aged Nord man with a limp hobbled up to them, pulling his long fur cloak around his broad shoulders. "Just a precaution, ma'am," he called, smiling jovially. "It's what's best for Morrowind."

Lily frowned at him, curious. Why would a Nord be camping out with a pack of ruthless slavers?

"Why're _you _here?" Suna asked, voicing the very question Lily wanted to keep smothered.

The Nord's smile twisted, and he said, "I'm the purser of a ship at port near Tear. The captain had a few vital persons go missing several weeks ago, and he wanted me to go with his men to see where they had gone."

"So you're helping catch runaway slaves," Mallory said flatly.

"Aye, that I am."

"I thought slavery was abolished," Mallory murmured, glancing toward Suna for reassurance.

But the Nord overheard and spoke up. "Aye, it's illegal for the Empire, but nobody listens. The Dunmer see it as their right. They'll keep doing it, no matter what the Emperor or High Chancellor says."

Lily pressed her lips together, feeling the knot of ancient scar tissue in the corner of her mouth. She could handle the slavers messing around with their things, so long as they didn't actually _take_—

"All clear," one of them shouted. He was holding their bag of fruit under one arm. "Let 'em go."

The Dunmer all wandered away, some carrying supplies with them. Bedding and crates of old bread and vegetables remained in the snow.

Once the slavers had returned to their post up ahead, Jake hopped out of the cart and began throwing everything back into the wagon. "Fucking slavers," he muttered as he threw the last pillow back in. "I'll kill them."

"You'll not," Lily retorted. The calm spell was wearing off. "Let's just get out of this pass."

Mallory was the first to react to Lily's words; she flicked Piggy's reins and he began trotting past the slave camp. Suna followed, her hand resting cautiously at her side, near her axe, and Lily and Jake brought up the rear. Once they were through, they almost immediately began the descent into Morrowind and out of the mountain range.

And that was when Lily first realized that they had left Cyrodiil.

A huge, rocky expanse lay before them. Narrow dirt roads webbed across the grey landscape, cut off by spindly forests and high hills. The pale morning sun shone happily down on the country, lighting up the high crags of the mountains.

"Wow," Lily heard Rem whisper in front of her. "It's nothing like Cyrodiil."

"It really isn't, is it?" she murmured. Below them, probably a day of travel after the foot of the mountains was a relatively large city; the closest Lily could see from their eagle eye view. "What's that, Suna?"

"Kragenmoor."

Urging Victoria down the steep slope—the pass had actually brought them out of the mountains quite close to the bottom, so the city was really nearer than Lily expected—the priestess said, "We should stop there for supplies and whatnot when we get close."

Suna hopped over a boulder and grabbed at a naked bush to stop herself from sliding. "Good idea. It's pretty close to Cyrodiil, so they won't be like most Dunmer there."

"Most Dunmer," Jake repeated. "What does _that _mean?"

Suna smiled dryly as she hunched on the path, sitting like some kind of predator. "Kragenmoor is probably the last friendly place you'll see before we reach Mournhold. Don't expect an Imperial-friendly meeting with any of the locals."

Lily swallowed a lump in her throat and glanced at Jake. He didn't look nervous, like she expected—he just looked pissed. "To be fair, I'm Breton, and they're half," she pointed out, gesturing to her children.

"They're not going to notice or care. Point is, your skin's white, not grey or blue. They aren't going to like you."

Jake snorted disdainfully. "It's true. They're all assholes in Morrowind."

Lily smiled grimly and let her eyes wander back to the city of Kragenmoor. "Great," she sighed. "I can't wait to be here."


	6. You'll find it all in Morrowind

"S'wit," a Dark Elf growled, shoving past her and nearly knocking her into a wall.

Lily winced and rubbed her arm, glaring after him. "Is this really the most Imperial-friendly tavern in Kragenmoor?" she asked Suna.

The girl pushed through the crowd, visible only because of her bright blue hair. "Yeah. Sorry. That only means you'll be allowed to have a room and get drinks. Not that the people will be nice at all."

Lily nodded, scowling, and spotted Jake at the bar. "Already," she muttered. "Are Mallory and Remmy with you, Suna?"

A ginger head poked around Suna's side. "Right here, Mum," he announced. His blue eyes were wide and frightened as he looked around the tavern. Dirty wood and bassy music, filled with alcoholic Dark Elves and the occasional Imperial—perfect place for a twelve year old boy. Lily looked around; other than themselves, there were only three other Imperials. The rest were Dunmeri, and the place was _packed._

During her scan of the tavern, Lily suddenly caught notice of a stage at the far end of the room, roped off with three women dancing around poles. Dunmer women. Scantily clad Dunmer women.

Lily's jaw dropped. "Suna, Mallory, Remmy, go upstairs to the room _now_, and lock the door. Don't let anybody in except Jake or me."

"What if—" Mallory started, but Lily cut her off.

"If you get hungry, there are the supplies we bought earlier in there. If you're thirsty, send Suna to get Dad or me. If nature calls, use the pot."

"Good idea," Suna agreed. She grabbed Remmy's hand and pulled him up beside her. Mallory remained just behind her, looking around nervously. "Come on. You and him better stick together," she added, obviously referring to Jake.

Lily nodded. "We will. Goodnight, kids. I love you."

"Love you too, Mama."

Lily watched the three of them push through the crowd of odorous, drunken Dark Elves to get to the stairs to the upper level of the inn. So far, so good, all things considered. The Dark Elf woman they had found earlier in the evening let them buy supplies without too much of a hassle, though stabling the horses and the wagon afterwards was _definitely _a hassle.

But now she was away from the only other person she knew, and she really didn't want to be alone.

Thankful she was wearing comfortable trousers and not a skirt, Lily began to inch through the throng toward the bar. She had to pass the stage to reach it—the three Dark Elves dancing promiscuously were beautiful, albeit one was almost completely naked. Lily averted her gaze and hurried to the bar, where Jake was peering interestedly at whatever the bartender was showing him.

"Jake," she called, coming up beside him. There was just enough space between him and a shirtless Dark Elf fellow for her to squeeze in. Once she was settled between her dirty, stinky husband and a dirty, stinky, half-naked Dunmer, she leaned gratefully on the counter to see what was going on. "What's all this?" she asked, gesturing to the many fancy bottles lined up in front of Jake.

"Local booze," Jake admitted, grinning happily. He hadn't found time to shave since they had gone through the pass, and his smile looked ridiculous behind a rather fluffy brown beard—with a silver streak down the chin, she noticed.

The bartender almost smiled as he splayed his hands toward them. "Flin, matze, greef, shein, sujamma, and Cyrodiilic brandy, sera," he said. It surprised Lily that he used a term of respect, but she supposed he didn't want to scare off paying customers.

Arching her eyebrows, Lily remarked, "Getting drunk already, Jacob?"

He chuckled and picked up a fat bottle. Swishing it around, he said, "Actually, picking something that's best for a celebration."

"Celebration?"

A smirk lined his face. "It's the seventh of Rain's Hand today, Lil. You practically missed your entire birthday."

Lily paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Really? It's the seventh already?"

"Well, how old are you now, sera?" the bartender asked, grinning as he picked up one of the bottles and uncorked it. A very alcoholic smell burst from the mouth of the bottle as he waved it toward them.

"Thirty-six, apparently," she said, surprised. "Well. Happy birthday to me."

"May I recommend the sujamma, sera? Guaranteed to make your evening everything you dream of."

Jake's smile widened and he glanced at the Dark Elf behind the counter, holding the bottle toward her.

Reluctantly, Lily took the bottle and sipped at it. To her surprise, it was actually quite delicious. Taking another sip, she glanced toward the stage. The dancer with the most clothes—she wore a short, ripped skirt and a belt around her breasts—was being pulled off the stage and led through the crowd by a stumbling, drunken man. The other two—one of which wore only a furry garment around her bottom, and the other had only fancy golden jewellery covering her arms and legs—continued to writhe and swing on the poles provided.

"Are they forced to do that?" Lily asked, eyeing the woman being pulled through the crowd. Hands reached out and grabbed at her as she moved through the men, but she didn't seem to mind.

"The girls? Nah." The bartender handed Jake a bottle of something different than the sujamma Lily had. "They're paid good money to do what they do. And they only go upstairs with customers if they signed it in their contracts. No one's being forced to do anything."

Smiling sweetly, Jake took a large gulp of whatever beverage he had and exclaimed, "Ah, I love Morrowind."

"Pig," Lily muttered.

He lightly hit her arm and grinned. "Hey, you know me. This place is like my heaven. Booze, naked women, you… perfect."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Pervert."

The bartender chuckled and put away the remaining bottles. "You sound like the only Imperial fit for Morrowind, sera."

Jake beamed at the compliment. "Thank you, kind sir. What is this?"

"Flin."

The bartender turned away to deal with another customer, and Jake chuckled softly. "Flin. Ha. That's gotten me into trouble before."

Lily downed more sujamma. "Really now? What kind of trouble?"

"Don't worry about it, birthday girl. Thirty-six," he cooed, nudging her arm. "I've known you for nearly twenty years now."

"You have? Oh, Akatosh, you have. Since I was seventeen. I'm old," she pouted, staring glumly at her drink.

"Hey, _I'm _old. You turning thirty-six means I'm going to be forty-five soon."

Lily shook her bottle. It sounded about halfway gone already. Akatosh, was she really drinking that much? "I wonder how old Baran and Marian are now," she wondered idly.

Jake shrugged. "I never knew how old either were."

"Baran told me once… he was… two years older than me? But I never knew about Marian."

"Well, a toast to them. Because he saved the world from a Daedric Prince hell-bent on killing us all!" Jake held up his bottle, and Lily did the same, feeling pleasantly embarrassed.

"And because her insanity got us through the hard times," Lily added, and they clinked their bottles together.

As they drank, Lily began to feel quite delightfully warm and tingly all over. And before long, her bottle ran dry of sujamma.

The shirtless Dark Elf beside her chuckled, raspy, as she tried to urge the last drops out. "Out already? F'lah, get her another one," he said, motioning to the bartender. He smirked, leaning back on the counter as he eyed her with narrow red eyes. "Wouldn't want such a pretty thing to think the Dunmeri are heartless s'wit."

"Oh, well, thank you," Lily said warmly. She definitely didn't think _all _Dunmeri were heartless s'wit—whatever that meant—since this one was so kindly complimenting her. "But I don't have the money to get more."

"On me, sera," he said with a crooked smile. "The least I can do for a newcomer to Morrowind."

"Oh, thanks!" She happily took the new bottle from the bartender as he slid it down the counter. Sniffing delightedly at the sweet smell of sujamma, she looked at her new Dark Elf friend and said, "So! Always lived in Kragenmoor?"

"Never lived in Kragenmoor. I'm just stopping here before going back to Sadrith Mora." He sipped at his own drink, the smell of which was strong and bitter. Lily wrinkled her nose at it.

"I've never heard of Sadrith Mora. Where is it?" She peered up at the Dark Elf in interest, knowing that her jaw was gaping open and really not caring. She hadn't felt this good in ages.

"In the Telvanni district of Vvardenfell. The big island up north." He gave a little smirk. "I never knew sujamma affected Imperials like this."

Lily snorted with laughter and gripped her bottle tightly so she wouldn't drop it. Hunched over and red-faced, she bit her tongue and giggled, "I never knew I was Imperial!"

Golden pleasantness edged her vision, and she felt like she was sitting on a cloud. It was almost exactly the same way she felt the second time she had ever gotten drunk, when she lived in Anvil shortly after leaving the chapel in Kvatch.

Lily sighed happily and bit her lip, trying to recall that night. It was the night she first saw Jake again after he convinced her to go to the chapel instead of the Arcane University. She hadn't known it was him at first—and he had tried to get a drunk girl into bed.

She giggled at her reactions upon realizing this, nearly sixteen years in the past. It had been so long ago.

"Oh, how time flies," she muttered, smiling absently as she downed more of the sujamma.

"Breton, then?" Her new friend hadn't even seemed to notice her insane ramblings.

"Oh, aye, Breton," she agreed with a sloppy wink. "Never been to High Rock though."

"Could've sworn you were Imperial, after he mentioned your man being Imperial."

Lily beamed and sighed happily. "Oh, he is. I'm not. Where is he?" she asked, looking behind her, where Jake was sitting before. Now, the place had been filled by a rather corpulent Dunmer fellow. Scanning the tavern with wavy vision, Lily didn't spot her husband, but she did notice that the third dancer was back, and all three were grinding on their poles.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" her companion murmured, seeing where her eyes wandered.

Lily beamed and sat up straight, nearly slopping sujamma down her front. "Oh, gods, that looks like fun!"

The golden wateriness was starting to clog up her vision, making her pleasantly dizzy and sightless. Her new Dark Elf friend said something, but she couldn't hear it—all the voices and music in the tavern blended into one dull, thudding boom in her head.

Hands grabbed at her as she floated through the crowd. The music grew louder, the notes bouncing around in her skull. Her skin was so smooth, her long black waves so soft. The torches hanging from the roof was a thick orange blaze before her cloudy eyes.

Someone with rough hands snatched her wrist and tugged her down from her pedestal, pulling her through the crowd. Warm, fragrant bodies bumped her, knocking the ceramic bottle from her hands and splashing an extremely alcoholic beverage down her front.

A burst of cold air made her skin crawl and her breath whoosh from her lungs. The ground was rough and her feet caught on loose rocks, trying to trip her like evil little demons. Darkness of night swallowed up the moons and the stars; an awning blocked out torchlight from nearby lamps.

Something scratched her back, but it didn't hurt. A voice called out—the words were jumbled, and she didn't care what they said either way. The man with rough hands was groping through the shadows of the night; her golden haze made him seem gilt with every precious material known to man or mer.

Her head was throbbing. The notes still jumped frantically around, though the universal hum had slowed and kicked harder against her skull. She was floating on a cloud, a golden cloud, edged in black.

The shadows corrupted the cloud, rocks scratched her thin flesh, and the fires of Oblivion stole her away.

—

"Mum? Mum? Mu-um?"

"Hush, Rem. She's sleeping."

She suddenly snapped back to Tamriel with a painful lurch. All the contents of her stomach threatened to force their way up her throat, and her scrambled brain tried to leak out her nose. Her arm ached; her back felt like it had been poked with a thousand red hot needles.

A hand—a rough, familiar hand—pushed the sticky hair off her forehead, and a man's voice said, "Actually, I think she might still be drunk."

"You can't be serious," the second voice retorted. "Mama doesn't get drunk."

She groaned as a very large chunk of brain got lodged in her nasal cavity. That didn't belong there.

Another voice giggled and remarked, "Oh, boy, she must've been _hammered _last night. How much did you let her drink?"

The hand was still on her forehead, wiping away the sweat. "All I saw was one bottle of sujamma. She could've gotten more."

"One bottle of sujamma doesn't make a person do _this_. She had at least two. Two good-sized bottles to herself. Man, I wish I could've seen it."

"Dad, why'd you let her drink that much?"

"Hell, it was her birthday, Rem. I didn't know she'd do _this_."

"And what exactly is this '_this' _you and Suna keep referring to, Papa?"

Lily moaned loudly to shut them up. "Stop talking," she growled, lifting a leaden hand to slap against her face. "And somebody stop my brains from escaping."

"She's hung over. _So _hung over. I'm going downstairs to get water. And don't worry, it's safe now. It's morning. Besides, I've got my axe."

"Okay. Be quick about it, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe I'll stick around and hear the stories." Footsteps slunk off, and a door opened and closed, making Lily's skull rattle.

"Jacob Reman Bercarius the Sixth," she snarled, prying open one bleary eye to see her husband leaning over her, bearded and ruffled and wide-eyed. "You tell me what happened last night, or so help me Akatosh, I'll vomit all over you, and then feed you to the rats."

He looked genuinely concerned at her threat, but before he could reply, Remmy asked, "Dad, why aren't _you _like her?"

"I only had one bottle of flin, kid. And yeah, the bottle of sujamma I saw her get was pretty hefty."

"Jacob," Lily snapped, narrowing the eye. The torchlight was dim, but gods, it hurt her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, okay," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her. Clearing his throat, he absently stroked her arm. "Well, I told you it was your birthday and the bartender gave you sujamma. You finished that off pretty quickly and started talking to the Dark Elf beside you. I figured you'd be okay for a bit, so I finished my flin and went upstairs to check on the kids. Remmy was scared of the noise, so I had to stay there for a bit. When I came back downstairs, you were…" Jake trailed off and glanced at the children, standing obediently beside the bed. "Kids, go down and find Suna. Stick with her 'til we get you, all right? Do _not _leave the tavern."

"Yes, Papa," Mallory murmured, and dragged Remmy from the room.

Once they were gone, Lily settled more comfortably in the bed and croaked, "Do continue, dear."

"Ha, well, okay. When I got back downstairs," he said, smirking, "you'd ripped off your shirt and jumped on the stage with a giant new bottle in your hand. Some assholes were making grabs at you, and you and that slutty dancer were getting a little too close, so I pulled you down. You started grabbing my junk and professing your love for me and demanding I take you someplace you could make me happy." Jake's mouth twitched, and Lily instantly felt her face turn bright red. "You know I have a high tolerance for embarrassment, but that was _too _much."

Pulling the blankets up over her chin, she winced and muttered, "I'm sorry."

He waved a hand and absently scratched at his beard. "I'll recover. I took you outside after some jerk knocked your drink all over you. I thought the cold air could cool you off, but when I tried to put your shirt back on," he said, smirking now, "you grabbed my manhood yet again and cast what I think was a rally spell."

Her eyes widened, though she cringed as the firelight pierced her retinas. "Oh. Oh dear gods."

Jake grimaced somewhat and leaned against the wall. "You haven't done that since… well, isn't that how we got ourselves a son, dear?"

"I'm evil, I know."

"Want me to keep going?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well too bad. After you assaulted me with your magical prowess, you pushed me into an alley and proceeded to molest me. What passes for the city guard here asked what was going on, _saw _what was going on, and merrily went on his way."

Lily shut her eyes and bit her lip. It felt less like her brains were going to drip out of her nose now, but she still head a killer headache and it felt like she was going to throw up any second. And probably all over her husband. "And then?"

Jake grinned and shrugged. "Now we can just hope we don't have a third bun in the oven."

Lily grabbed her head and moaned. "You're so good with words, Jake," she muttered, cradling her aching head. "So, my back hurts because?"

"Alleyway wall."

"And my arm hurts because?"

"You tried to go again and passed out. You fell on your arm."

Lily slowly pressed her fingers into her temples to ease the pain. "I am going to justify my actions. We have been forced to leave each other alone since just before we left for Cheydinhal. Gods know we tried at the inn in the pass, but…"

"It's the curse of having children, Lil."

"And a pet cat."

"Luke's no pet. Vaba was a pet. Luke just… doesn't know boundaries."

Peeking at him through narrow eyes, she asked tentatively, "So… did I really go on the stage with the dancers?"

Holding up his hand dramatically, he announced, "With Akatosh as my witness, woman. I never thought you to be the experimental type."

"Oh, I am mortified," she sighed, covering her burning face with her hands and the blankets. "Never let me drink sujamma again, Jake. Please."

"Oh, well, I dunno. _I _had a lot of fun last night. And you seemed to be having the time of your life."

The empty hollow of her brain was free space since her brain had vacated, and it felt like a party of Daedra had decided to take it up. She wasn't sure she had ever felt worse.

Easing herself back on the pillows, she shut her eyes and exhaled slowly. "I dreamed last night. I don't usually dream after drinking, but I did last night, for some reason."

Jake fiddled distractedly with his beard. "Yeah? What'd you dream about?"

She shuddered and saw the image of her dreams burned into her eyelids. "The burning of Kvatch," she whispered. "Seeing my friends all dead. Taking care of the wounded with… with Martin and Oleta. And… going into Oblivion with you and Baran and Marian. All I saw all night was fire and demons and corpses. And Martin. Martin was there lots."

Usually Jake got grumpy whenever Lily mentioned Martin. He was still bitter, after fifteen years and winning the girl. But that seemed to change as she explained her dream. "So was it bad or good?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and furrowing his brows.

"I don't know. Bad because I had to relive Kvatch burning… but good, too. I was with Martin again."

Jake smirked and squeezed her hand. "Martin wouldn't have let you dance topless with Dark Elf whores."

She laughed pitifully and smiled, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. "Gods, I miss him so much."

"I know."

There was a knock at the door, and Remmy's little voice piped up, "Mum, Dad, Suna wants to go check on the horses."

"We'll be down in a little bit, Rem," Jake called, and they waited for the boy's footsteps to fade away. Looking back at his wife, he asked, "Are you going to be okay, Lil?"

"I think so. If I'm allowed to sleep in the wagon, at least." She sat up and patted the bed for clothes, not at all surprised to find she was lacking any. "Woo, I smell like a distillery."

"You bathed in sujamma last night." Jake pushed himself off the foot of the bed and opened a bag to toss fresh clothes of his at her. Lily smiled as she gratefully took them. Somehow he knew she would want his baggy, comfortable shirts and trousers instead of her own much tighter counterparts. "Man, I can only hope."

"Hope what?" she asked, pulling the big white shirt over her head and brushing out the tangles in her long copper hair with her fingers.

"That my birthday is half as good as yours. I'll be downstairs with the kids." Jake hoisted up a couple of the bags and wandered out the door. As he left the inn room, Lily could have sworn she heard him mumbling, "Where your once steely reserve is now merely tinned, you'll find it all in Morrowind."

—

Sitting on a horse made her head hurt. Walking on her own two feet was difficult, and made her head hurt. Lying sprawled in the wagon, trying to be as motionless in possible, made her head hurt, though it was the lesser of three evils, so in the wagon bed she remained, stuck on the pile of folded blankets, flat pillows and sacks of food.

Suna had acquiesced and was riding Victoria while Lily was out of commission. Mallory and Remmy were riding Piggy near the front of the wagon, so they could talk to their father, but Suna and Victoria chugged along beside Lily. She was grateful for the company. It was better than listening to her skull pound.

Lily watched in idle interest as Suna's hair began turning from blue to green at the roots, spreading out until her entire head was the colour of vibrant grass. Frowning and hugging her blanket tighter around her, she asked, "How does that happen? I know you made a potion to dye your hair, but…"

"I only wanted to dye my hair blonde, like my mum's," Suna admitted, shrugging somewhat as she lifted a hand from the reins to tug on a short piece of green hair. "I screwed up somehow. Probably because I started making the potion when I was five. I never figured out exactly what I did wrong, but I've been able to recreate it since, so I'm okay with that."

"How does it change?"

"Mood, I figure," she said, letting her hand fall back into her lap. "I've got them all figured out by now, I just don't know how it knows when to change according to how I'm feeling. That's probably because of whatever I did wrong the first time 'round."

Lily rolled onto her side, her head cushioned by the pillows to keep from throbbing too painfully. "What are the moods?"

Suna sighed and stared up at the sky. "Blue is my favourite colour. It's the first colour my hair turned when I tried the potion. I figure that's like… y'know, my everyday mood? Content? Happy?"

"And green?"

"It only changes green when I'm… thoughtful, I guess. I was just thinking about my dad, so that's probably why."

Lily's brows arched as the roots started to morph hot pink. "Pink?"

"Chatty. Social," she replied without hesitation. "Why? Is it changing again?"

"You don't notice when it does?"

"Nah." Suna shook her head. "I never notice unless I have a mirror or something. Red's angry."

"I figured that one. Is purple upset?"

"I think so. How'd you know?"

"Your hair turned purple at Cropsford when Jake said we wouldn't help you find your dad."

The girl clucked her tongue. "Makes sense. I always used to associate purple with unhappy."

"So it isn't random? All the colours have meaning to you?"

Suna rubbed her nose. "I think so," she said again. "Blue's my favourite colour, so it's the most common. Green… when we lived in New Sheoth, I'd always go into the gardens when I wanted to be alone, to think. Mum's party dress was always pink." Suna smiled somewhat, probably at a memory of her time in the Shivering Isles. "Red comes from the quote. Seeing red. Y'know, when you're mad. And yeah, purple always just seemed sad to me."

"Are there any more colours? Or is that it?" Lily asked, genuinely intrigued now.

"It's been yellow and orange, too. That's all of 'em."

"And what are they?"

"Um…" Suna was quiet for a moment, thinking. Her hair was entirely pink now. Having Lily keep up the conversation must have made her feel like talking. "Yellow. Like amber. Like Mania. Like the sun. Yellow is happy. Like, _really _happy."

Lily smiled. "That's pleasant. And what's orange?"

Suna frowned somewhat. "That's not so clear. It's only ever been orange, like, two days a year. My birthday, and the second of Sun's Dawn."

"That's awfully random."

The girl giggled and shook her head. "Nah, not really. The second of Sun's Dawn is Mad Pelagius Day. It's Sheogorath's day of summoning," she added with a wink. "But I don't know what I stick orange to, so I can't say what they might mean. Or maybe none of them have any meaning at all. I just love colour."

"Hm." Lily brushed her own orange hair from her face so she could see the girl. "You must be a _very _good alchemist."

"I am." She wasn't bragging or showing off; she was merely telling the truth. "Can I attack you with questions now?"

"Sure."

"So your kids say you were a priestess once."

"I was, for three years when I was seventeen."

"Ever wondered what it's like to worship Daedra instead of Aedra?"

Lily pushed herself up onto her elbow to see the drivers' plank of the wagon. She knew Jake had to be listening. That was something she had begun to wonder about him in the past few years—he had disowned the Aedra at a young age, which was part of the reason why his father kicked him out of the house at fourteen, but had he turned to something other than thievery to recover?

Plus, Martin Septim had once worshipped Sanguine. She would never forget seeing him angrily admit it to ignorant Blades during the siege of the Imperial City.

Exhaling shortly and sitting against the stack of pillows for support, she looked back at Suna and revealed, "Yes, actually. A very good friend of mine once worshipped a Daedric Prince. He didn't seem proud of his past, but they aren't all corrupt. Azura always seemed somewhat appealing, only because she isn't a troublemaker. Or Hermaeus Mora. Unending knowledge is daunting, but there's always so much to learn."

Suna snorted, and Lily regretted that she couldn't turn and see Jake's reaction to her statement without looking suspicious. "Azura and Hermaeus Mora, of course," she muttered, shaking her head. "You really must be a priestess. Why not Molag Bal?"

"The King of Rape? No thank you."

"Mehrunes Dagon? He represents Morrowind's landscape, y'know."

"He tried to wipe out all of Tamriel and killed my best friend," Lily growled darkly. "I would never consider worshipping him."

Suna leaned toward her, nearly slipping off Victoria in the process. "Your best friend? The same friend as before? Who'd he worship?"

Lily gritted her teeth and tried not to think of whatever atrocities Martin committed under his Prince's tutelage. "Sanguine."

"So why not him? After all the stories I heard of last night, you'd seem perfect for the Daedric Prince of hedonism and debauchery." Suna smirked devilishly and wrinkled her nose. "Or is a writhing, drunken orgy not your thing?"

"Not particularly."

Jake coughed delicately in front of them, and Lily felt her face burn.

Determined to push the subject off her, Lily asked, "Do _you _worship a Prince?"

"Well, I can't exactly worship my own dad. Never met the first Sheogorath. I hate Jyggalag, too. Too orderly and perfect. Peryite is almost as bad. I'm partial to Meridia, myself."

"Why?"

"Her stances. And her Plane, the Coloured Rooms. I've seen pictures in the Shivering Isles. It could be beautiful." Suna shrugged. "Anyways. So what about your scars?"

Lily's hand shot up to her face. "My scars?" she repeated, dumbfounded. She hadn't even _thought _of her scars in years.

"Yeah. How'd you get 'em?"

Lily's fingers probed her face. There was the stab wound in her shoulder from her adventure with bandits after escaping Cloud Ruler Temple the first time, but that wasn't visible, so she'd leave it alone. "There's the cut on my neck… when Kvatch was razed at the start of the Daedric Invasion, a churl tried to slit my throat to try to make me tell him where Martin was."

Of course, Suna wouldn't know who Martin was. Lily didn't notice or care.

"I got the scratches on my forehead and in my scalp from a highwayman who was trying to rob me outside Anvil. He cut the side of my face too."

"Gotta say, I didn't even notice those ones," Suna pointed out. "I meant the big ones. Down your cheek."

Lily ran her fingers down the four claw marks cutting across her cheek, ending in a knot of scar tissue where her mouth had been ripped. The lines had faded with time and magic, but they were still there. They didn't bother her anymore anyways, and nobody ever really mentioned them.

"An old friend of Jake's gave them to me. An assassin of the Dark Brotherhood."

Suna grunted and flicked the reins to keep up Victoria's pace. "Hope you killed him for it."

Lily dropped her hand and frowned. She knew Jake hated the memory of killing Dar'vaba. After all, no matter how much he hated the cat, he had been his only companion for three years. "We did," she whispered.

"Mum!" Remmy suddenly shouted from the front of the pack. "How much longer _now?_"

Lily glanced at Suna, and the girl called back, "A few weeks at the most, Rem. Not that long, really. And trust me, Mournhold's super pretty. It'll be worth the trip."

As the wagon bounced over a particularly gruesome bump in the jagged road, Lily moaned and clutched her head. "Just never, _ever _do it hung over."


	7. The city of light and magic

Gaining entrance to the capital of Almalexia didn't take much effort at all, considering the entire party consisted of men and not mer. Lily had always thought Mournhold itself was the capital of Morrowind; Suna corrected her after they gained access to the city and began towing the wagon across wide cobbled streets toward the centre of the large, walled fortress. Almalexia was the capital, named after the dead goddess. Mournhold was the Temple city, apparently, which meant that was where the rich, the royal, and the goddess resided.

That was news to everybody in the Bercarius family except Mallory. Somehow the girl had already known all about it.

When they reached the walls of the inner city of Mournhold, several guards stopped them and demanded, unlike their counterparts outside Almalexia, to search the wagon. Once that was all said and done, Suna had to prove her identity as a citizen of Mournhold—they apologized profusely, saying that clearly security hadn't been tight enough a few decades ago, when Almalexia had been killed, and they didn't want to risk it with King Helseth—and then they were all cleared to enter the city.

The sky was bleak and grey as they rolled the wagon into the shopping district of the Great Bazaar. There was a small stable by the gate to Almalexia, so they gratefully unsaddled the horses and emptied the wagon, filling all the bags they had with them. Once the gold was paid to keep the horses for an undetermined amount of time, they started the journey on foot, following Suna past the bustle of people and the tall, stone buildings.

"We live in Godsreach," Suna said, hoisting a bag over her shoulder so it rested on her ratty leather backpack. "It's where all the rich folk live. Dad grew up there before he moved to Cyrodiil, then the Isles. The Temple district, where Almalexia was, it's been flattened and turned into more houses now that she's dead. It's just another way for people to cover up that the Almsivi is dead," she muttered, shaking her head. "Any day now, Baar Dau is going to fall."

"The moon over Vivec?" Jake asked. "It seemed fine when I was there."

Lily, of course, had no idea what they were talking about.

Suna glanced back at him and pushed her electric blue hair out of her heavily made-up eyes. "When were you there?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Back before the Nerevarine was a big deal."

"Over twenty years ago." Suna picked up the pace and pushed through a throng of Argonian tourists all hissing in their native tongue. "Baar Dau only stayed in place because of Vivec's power. He's mortal and dying. It'll fall."

On that grim note, they wound past more buildings to come to another gate.

"The Royal Palace," Suna said blandly as the guards let them through.

They walked calmly past royally outfitted soldiers marching about. Remmy kept trying to stray off and explore, but thank the gods, Mallory had a firm hold on his arm for nearly the entire trip. They made it across the district to what Suna called the temple courtyard, which appeared to be what remained of Almalexia's Temple region.

The walk through the courtyard was fast. Suna led them through several shortcuts until they came to the gates to Godsreach.

The district was entirely houses. Giant manors, stretching up to the sky, with flat stone walls, beautifully manicured gardens, and slate-coloured shingles for roofs. Nobles and servants wandered about, chatting amicably with each other and the guards that idly patrolled the peaceful neighbourhood.

"This way." Suna led the pack down a street to the left and soon they were face-to-face with one of the smaller giant manors in the district. Three or four storeys; Lily couldn't tell from their place at the bottom. It had a lush, beautiful garden overflowing with colourful flowers and ferns she had never seen before, and the front steps looked freshly swept.

"Home sweet home," Suna murmured, and hopped up the stairs to the front porch.

Lily glanced at Jake and caught his eye. The first time either of them would see Marian since she vanished from Cyrodiil after the end of the Daedric Invasion: it was a bit of a big deal.

Lily rather wished she didn't look like a bum. And Jake was sporting a month-long beard. Not to mention they all reeked of travel and sweat.

Suna hesitated, holding up a fist. She looked conflicted as to whether she should knock or march right in. Shrugging, she dropped her hand and shoved open the door, shouting, "Mum! Where are you?"

A high-pitched shriek echoed down a hallway in front of them. The interior of the building, as they saw when they crept in after Suna, was plain stone lined with a few statues—of what Lily presumed was Sheogorath—drapes and carpets. A fancy suit of armour stood by a large hearth nearby, and a long, sleek katana hung beside it.

"_Su-una!_" a little voice screamed, coming rapidly closer. A little boy suddenly rounded a corner up ahead. He looked remarkably like Baran, just like Suna did, only his hair was a lighter brown, and unlike his sister, his eyes were brown. He sprinted toward them, pumping his skinny little arms, and launched at Suna as soon as he was close enough.

Grunting and deftly catching the boy, Suna cradled him close and smiled. "Hiya, Sheo. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Suna." He snuggled close to his sister and peered over his shoulder at the newcomers. "Hi! I'm Sheo, Daedric Prince of Biscuits!"

Lily smiled at his childish delight, and felt Jake freeze at her side. "Biscuits, eh? That must be the best Prince position ever."

His head bobbed enthusiastically as he nodded. "It is! Clavicus Vile always gives me anything I want when I share my biscuits with him. But don't tell anyone," he added with a whisper. "Vaermina always gets jealous, and it's no fun when she's mad."

Mallory made a soft sound. "I can imagine."

Suna dropped her little brother to the ground and he scrambled to his feet, grinning. "Thanks for bringing Suna home. I missed her."

"You're quite welcome, Sheo. I'm Lily." She crouched to the boy's height and smiled.

"Hi, Lily." Sheo looked up at the others expectantly.

Jake merely looked at the kid and said, "Jake."

"I'm Mallory. A pleasure to meet you, Sheo."

"I'm Remmy."

Sheo narrowed his creamy brown eyes. "How old are you?" he asked interestedly after Remmy gave his introduction.

The boy looked perplexed at the question. "Twelve."

Looking rather put-out, Sheo nodded and slumped back into his sister's legs. "Oh."

Lily glanced Suna's way as she straightened. "There's not a lot of boys his age here," the girl admitted, grabbing up her brother's hand. "I mean, he _thinks _he's an ageless Prince, but we don't tell him otherwise."

The boy grinned up at her. "She's just crazy."

"Oh, I see. So is it just Vaermina you leave out?"

"No, I don't leave her out; I just don't give her as much. Malacath is pretty popular too, just not at parties. He likes really dry cookies. I always give my burned ones to him."

Mallory snorted as she held back a laugh, and Lily bit her lip, doing the same. Malacath, Prince of the ostracized—rescuing poor spurned, burned cookies from a seven year old boy.

"Come on, Sheo," Suna urged, pulling him down the hallway, past the armour. "Don't spill all the Daedric secrets to them in just one sitting."

"Fine," the boy moped.

"What armour is that back there, Suna?" Remmy asked, hopping up beside her.

"Dad's. He got it when we came back from the Isles. Apparently it'd been waiting for him for like… I dunno, a really long time. He said something like he got fitted for it before he went to stop the Greymarch."

Lily nearly strained her neck to look back at the armour. She _knew _she recognized it—it was Imperial Dragon armour; Baran's prize for saving the Empire, and the same type Martin wore during the battle of Bruma.

She flinched, having a sudden recollection of that day; seeing Martin, her Martin, the priest and brother, decked out in heavy armour, wielding magic and a sword.

"Sheo, what are you shouting for?"

Lily's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the high, soft, fluttery voice that brought back so many memories. Distant and vacant, like she was always lost in her own little world—which she likely was, as she was such a fish out of water in Tamriel—but smart and always kind.

Marian Clutumnus.

A tall, thin woman appeared around a corner ahead of them. Wearing a long, plain, navy dress with her platinum blonde hair twisted up into an elaborate bun, Marian hadn't seemed to age a bit, save for a few thin lines around her vibrant green eyes. She was just as aristocratic and perfect as Lily remembered.

She stopped upon seeing everybody. Her large doe-eyes rested on Suna for a long moment, then a wide smile split her face. "Suna! Oh, by Sheogorath, you're home!" Picking up her skirts, she rushed toward her daughter and quickly engulfed her in a warm hug. Suna squawked and tried to pull away. "Staada told me when you entered Abasel av Pellani, and I was so afraid there would be an avalanche to crush you or something."

"You're grim, Mum. Lemme go." Suna successfully freed herself from her mother's grasp and ducked behind Remmy for protection. "I got who you wanted, Mum."

Marian's big, vacant eyes moved from her daughter to the boy she stood behind. "Oh. Hello, Mr Lily," she said, smiling somewhat.

Remmy gawked at her. "_Mr _Lily? That doesn't even make any sense!"

The Manic glanced up at the adults and her grin widened. "But with a mouth like Jake, I see," she murmured.

Lily couldn't hold back any longer. Beaming like an idiot, she practically jumped on Marian and knocked her back. "Marian! I missed you so much!"

Marian's arms wrapped around her, and the woman giggled softly. "I missed you too, Lily. You broke a promise, you know."

Pulling back somewhat, so they were nearly nose to nose, Lily frowned through the beginnings of tears and asked, "I did?"

Marian nodded. "Baran told you not to tie any knots while we were gone. But instead you got married and had children."

"You did too. To be fair, we didn't even know you'd come back to Tamriel. Actually, we hadn't even known you'd gone to the Isles," Lily pointed out. "You should've written, or visited when you went to get Baran's armour."

"I know. I apologize." Releasing Lily, Marian's gaze swept over to Jake. "Hello, Jacob."

"Hey, Marian." He stepped up and stuck out a hand, having deposited his bags on the floor beside Lily's. "Been a while."

She gave his hand a funny look before shaking it. "Oh, yes. Now, I suppose you've met the Prince of Baked Goods. Can we get formal introductions?" She stood back with her two children, and Remmy scuttled over to his big sister, looking terrified of the people they had associated themselves with.

Lily gestured to Mallory. "This is our daughter, Mallory Ida Bercarius. She's just a few months younger than Suna."

Marian's eyes widened. "How strange. She looks an awful lot like Jake. Odd how neither of your children got his dark skin."

"Shit happens," Jake muttered, glancing Mallory's way. It was true, though. She resembled him in almost every way except for her pale skin and freckles.

Lily set her hands on Remmy's shoulders, and he made a disgusted sound, anticipating what was coming next. "And this is Jacob Reman Bercarius the Seventh," she said, beaming as she squeezed his shoulders. "Because there weren't enough Jacob Remans in that family."

Jake jabbed his thumb in Lily's direction. "All her idea. I was firmly opposed to giving the poor kid that name."

Marian glanced at Lily, and the redhead explained, "He wanted to name him Skeffington. After the woods. Besides, he'd named Mal. Second kid was my picking."

"Good to know you think of us as livestock," Mallory remarked tonelessly.

"That is the only reason why people have children," Marian added, cocking her head to the side like an animal. "Free labour."

Lily giggled, and her daughter shot her a dirty look.

"Suna, Sheo, show Mallory and…" Marian suddenly looked extremely confused. Peering at Remmy, she asked, "Do you go by Jake too? That must get very difficult."

Rem stuck out a tongue. "No. Ugh. I'm Remmy or Rem."

"Oh, okay. Suna, Sheo, why don't you show them around the house, or bring them to the backyard. Unless it's raining!" she added, sounding suddenly panicked.

Suna grimaced. "It's not, Mum. C'mon, guys." She led them away, and soon only the three adults were left.

Marian smiled absently. "We might as go to the sitting room. There's nothing to do standing around in the entrance." She turned down the path she had come from, and Jake and Lily followed her through several hallways before reaching an open entranceway into another large room. This one was more decorated, with couches, bookshelves, paintings, and, of course, a small pile of weapons in the corner.

Marian cooed and scurried up to the large hearth, where a fire was roaring. Kneeling before it and nearly sticking her face into the flames, she sighed happily and shut her eyes.

Lily sat down near her on a long couch, and Jake plopped beside her.

Reluctantly pulling away from the fire—somewhat—Marian faced them and asked, "What did Suna tell you of the predicament?"

Lily sighed softly. Right down to business. "She said that after coming here from the Isles, your family was harassed by some fellow who thought you were from the Madhouse. Apparently Baran got him put away, but soon after, he went missing. And that was…"

"Three months ago now. The twelfth of Morning Star. An aureal in my care said she had caught sight of him during Sun's Dawn, trying to stow on a boat back to the mainland, but he must have been caught again." Marian's eyes fluttered shut, and she hunched back, so the flames nearly licked her shoulders. "We have had no other word of him since."

"So there's no way he could've just gone somewhere and is perfectly safe?" Jake piped up, leaning comfortably back on the couch as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Marian shook her head, and several locks of long blonde hair slipped from the bun. "I had several thorough searches of the Isles. He is not there. And had he gone to Cyrodiil, he would have told me. And there is no reason for him to have gone to Seyda Neen."

"Seyda Neen?" Lily repeated dumbly, just as Jake exclaimed, "Why was he in Seyda Neen?"

"That is where the aureal saw him. He was trying to hide away on a boat in Seyda Neen. It would take him back to the mainland."

Cluing in, Lily said, "I suppose Seyda Neen is a city in Morrowind."

"On Vvardenfell," Jake corrected.

"Whatever. Is that the only lead?"

Marian nodded glumly.

"So that's where we start," Jake said, pointing out the obvious. "I remember southern Vvardenfell okay. I mean, I haven't been there since I was eighteen, and I wasn't there long, but it can't have changed much."

Lily frowned nervously. "Isn't Vvardenfell extremely dangerous? I mean, Daedric creatures walk free there, don't they? They aren't restrained to their Planes."

"Oh, yes," Marian agreed, nodding gently. "Winged twilights, ogrim, daedroth, atronachs, clannfear, aureals even, hungers, scamps… but they are nowhere near as common as elytra and grummites in the Isles. You only have to worry about guars and scribs, really."

_You _only have to worry about… Lily's frown deepened after Marian stopped talking.

"Marian… aren't you coming with us?"

The duchess hesitated and shuffled back, closer to the fire. "I can't," she whispered, turning and hunching toward the flames. "Sheo is only seven. I cannot leave him under the care of the servants. They are mortal; they do not understand him."

Lily stared down at her hands, dejected that Marian wouldn't join them. The woman was an incredible fighter; she had been a Blade, the companion to the Champion of Cyrodiil, and was now the Duchess of Mania. Her skills with a blade could have only gotten better as the years passed.

"Keep Remmy here with you, then—" Lily started to say, but she was rudely cut off when Jake jumped to his feet.

"That's it? You called us all the way from fucking Cyrodiil just so you could send us off to find your fetching husband?" he bellowed, furious. Marian flinched somewhat, staring up at him with wide eyes. Lily gawked, stunned; it was all too sudden for her to react. "This isn't our business, Marian. We had our own lives. You can't just _summon _us away like some pet to do your bidding! The world doesn't work like that here! I don't know what it's like in your fucking insane asylum of a home, but that isn't how Tamriel works! Baran _isn't _our responsibility. He's _yours_. If you're just going to stay back here, sit on your ass in the safety of Mournhold while your fucking husband is probably being tortured or killed, be my guest. I'm going home."

Lily's heart snapped in two as she saw tears in Marian's eyes reflect the fire nearby. "Marian, I'm sorry," she whispered, and glanced up at Jake, who was scowling and grabbing at his hair. "Jake, that was extremely uncalled for. She sent Suna to get us because she had nowhere else to turn. She would've come on her own, but she has Sheo."

Marian nodded pitifully, and several tears slipped down her porcelain cheeks.

Jake whirled around, his dark eyes blazing. "We've been over this before, Lil! We've got responsibilities too! What about Mallory? What about Rem? Fuck, I never thought _I'd _be the one trying to get everyone's act together. What happened to you? You're a priestess, for the gods' sakes. You're just going to abandon your home, your kids, just so you can save someone who's probably already dead?"

His words stung as they smacked her face with their blunt truth. Lily felt her eyes burn with hidden tears as she gaped at him. He had never shouted at her like that before. He had never treated her like that.

Her mouth hung open uselessly. Her mind was flat and blank. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"And getting fucking _wasted _in Kragenmoor? You can't even _try _blaming that on me," he added darkly. "I offered one drink for your birthday. You went way overboard, Lily."

She flinched as if he had physically struck her. He _never _called her by her full name. She was fairly sure he hadn't even at their wedding.

"Maybe it's your midlife crisis. I don't know." He sighed exasperatedly and turned away. He had always intimidated her in the past when he was angry. Or when he was just trying to be scary. But he had always been weak and starving back then. Not anymore. If he was going to hit her…

Turning back toward her, he glowered and said, "I guess you're just not the responsible one anymore. Do what you want, Lily. I'm going home." Moving his glare on Marian, who was silently sobbing before the fire, he added harshly, "Good luck with Baran."

Without another glance their way, he stormed from the parlour. Even after he was long gone, they could hear him shouting for Mallory and Remmy to grab their things—they were going back to Cropsford.

And then they sat in silence. A thick, palpable silence that crushed Lily's ribs, threatening to choke the life from her with his mere words.

Never. He had never spoken to her that way _ever_.

Taking in a shuddery breath and feeling the deep sting of tears, Lily whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"You may go." Marian backed up and shuddered, keeping unnaturally close to the flames. "I don't expect you to stay. Go home with your family."

Lily slipped from the couch to the hearth and rested her forehead against Marian's shoulder. "No. If I needed your help, I know you wouldn't back down. Like when I needed you to help me find Jake when Dar'vaba took him after the battle of Bruma…" Lily smiled, albeit sadly, as she felt her friend shivering beneath her touch. "This is just me repaying the favour."

Marian's hand rested, shakily, on Lily's. "I wanted to go with you to find him, but I can't leave Sheo alone… he's fragile, Lily. He's only seven. I never wanted to make Suna go with you, but I needed _someone_…"

"Bring Sheo and Suna with us. I can protect him with spells, and I'm sure Suna could whip up a protective potion for him. And you're one of the best warriors I've ever seen, Marian." Lily swallowed a thick lump in her throat. "We'll keep him safe, and we'll find Baran."

"Mum?"

The women looked up to see Suna hovering in the doorway, looking nervous. Her hair was already half shaded in that eerie, dark purple. Looking between them, she leaned her leather-clad shoulder on the wall and said, "Bercarius left with his kids. Sheo started crying as soon as they were gone."

"Why?" Marian looked perplexed, and for good reason—Sheo barely knew them. Why would he start weeping just because strangers were leaving?

The blue in the tips of Suna's hair seemed to leak away, replaced immediately by purple. "He wants Dad home."

Marian instantly froze, her wide eyes locked on her daughter. "This is only the second time he has noticed his absence," she whispered, horrified. "We have to find him."

Suna nodded slowly and Lily guessed _she _had been crying too; her heavy makeup was messed over the tops of her cheeks. Maybe seeing her little brother sob for their father had broken something inside the hardened young woman. "Why'd he leave?" she asked, glancing toward Lily.

Lily sighed and squeezed Marian's frail hand. "He and your father… they never liked each other. They only got along on occasion for our sakes." She looked at Marian, and gritted her teeth together when she saw more silvery tears slipping down her alabaster cheeks. "It even came to blows. Jake never wanted to come here, Suna; you knew that. I guess it hit a sore spot when Marian said she couldn't come with us."

"So now what?"

"We're going," Lily said, before Marian could do or say something depressing. Well, even more depressing than the current mood in the room. "The four of us who are left. We're going to find your father."

"Sheo?"

"We can protect him. Easily. We should leave right away," Lily said, rubbing the wetness from her lashes. "Tomorrow morning. Hopefully Jake didn't take the horses…"

"He would have," Suna pointed out, living a finger to gnaw on. "I would've. It's okay; we've got a carriage to take us to a boat to Vvardenfell. We can take silt striders around from there. Plus, there are Mages Guild teleporters. And we've got feet. Can you be ready by tomorrow morning, Mum?"

Marian nodded slowly. "My armour and weapons are ready. I can get everything tonight. You two should go rest. You've had a long trip." Marian stood and cast another longing glance at the fire before leaving the room.

Suna stole a glance at Lily. "Got everything you need?"

Lily patted herself down. Trousers, shirt, boots—check. Steel dagger, taken from a highwayman many years ago—check; it was tucked away in one of her old leather boots. Magic—always at the ready.

Nodding, she said, "So long as you have extra clothes here, I'll be okay."

"Perfect. C'mon, I'll show you the guest room."

Lily followed Suna out of the parlour and glanced down the hallway toward the entrance, hearing a little voice ask for a daddy. Marian was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the suit of Imperial Dragon armour, Sheo curled on her lap, silently weeping.

Giving them their privacy, she hurried after Suna and desperately hoped they would find Baran as soon as possible.


	8. Walk with long steps along earthy matter

Suna beamed and spread her arms wide. "Welcome to Seyda Neen, the cesspool of Vvardenfell!"

Lily blinked and leaned to the side to peer past the girl. They had docked in a swamp. A jungle swamp. Lily was reminded of the Blackwood region of Cyrodiil, to be honest, though Seyda Neen had a peculiar fishy smell about it. At least the day was sunny; the last week of Rain's Hand promised to be a nice one.

"It's… quaint," Lily said awkwardly.

Suna shrugged and grinned as Sheo screamed and sprinted past her, running down the gangplank to the docks of the town. "It gets better. Hey!" she shouted, jogging after her little brother. "First one to the muck pit's a rotten egg!"

Lily gawked after them as they raced down the dock, into the town, and suddenly disappeared behind a weather-beaten shack. "They're going to play in a muck pit?" she asked, calmly walking down the gangplank.

Marian clunked after her. She insisted on wearing her Demented armour everywhere; they hadn't wanted to burden themselves with a wagon, so Marian claimed she really had no other choice. "They do every time we've come to Seyda Neen."

Lily sighed softly and tucked her hair behind her ear as a soft breeze picked up. "So where do we start?"

"The Census and Excise Office," Marian decided without a second of thought. "They keep tabs on everyone and everything coming and going from Vvardenfell." She led the way off the docks and down a dirt path toward a tall building nearby. Lily followed, peering off toward where the children had run to.

"You don't care if they wander off?"

"No," Marian replied absently. "Nothing will hurt them here. And if something does, Suna can protect them both." She opened the heavy wooden door and marched inside. She had to be sweltering inside her armour; locked inside a spiky suit of insanity, with matching weapons—longsword, bow, quiver of arrows—Marian looked like she had stepped right out of a book of horrors.

An aged Imperial man was standing in the main wing of the office as they approached. He looked their way with watery, bloodshot blue eyes, and gave a short nod. "Welcome to Seyda Neen," he croaked.

"We have some questions," Lily said, watching Marian instantly make a beeline for the fire. The man gave her an odd look, but Marian was apparently immune to those. "In Morning Star, a man of the nobility of Mournhold went missing. He was spotted here during Sun's Dawn. His name is Baran."

The man shook his head immediately. "I don't know off the top—"

"This is a census office," Lily interrupted, smiling so he didn't get offended. "Surely you have records."

"Of course, of course." He turned to a low wooden table behind him and picked up a large leather book. Flipping through it, he asked, "Do you know when in Sun's Dawn he was here?"

"No."

After several minutes of silence, he shook his head again and set the book down. "I'm afraid nobody by the name of Baran was here during Sun's Dawn. Race?"

"Redguard. But he looks like an Imperial. Brown hair, brown eyes, somewhat fair skin…"

The Imperial gave a slight grimace. "Ma'am, I'm afraid that could describe anybody. This is a popular port."

Marian was suddenly at Lily's side, a deer-about-to-get-run-down-by-a-carriage look on her face. "He has a memorable face," she murmured distantly. "He is missing teeth on the left side. He is missing the index and middle fingers on his right hand. His nose is crooked, with a bump. He has many scars; almost too many to count. He limps on the left." She recited his grisly mutilations automatically. Lily gaped at her, awed. She knew Baran's face perfectly. "He is the Master of the Fighters Guild across Tamriel. He is a Kinsman of House Redoran. He was the Hero of Kvatch and the Saviour of Bruma. He is the Champion of Cyrodiil."

Lily looked back at the taxman, stunned. He looked just as amazed as Lily felt. "That… is much more specific. Are you saying that man… that man who was so malformed… _he _was the Champion of Cyrodiil? Here, in Seyda Neen?"

"So you remember now?" Lily hoped.

"With a description like that, of course I do. Although, had his name come up as Baran, it would have been written down," he muttered, his white browns furrowing together. "Let me think… he arrived here in early Sun's Dawn, with several other men, all of whom were Dunmer. They were all rather impatient, I believe. I asked them where their travels took them, as I must with newcomers to the town, and they said they were walking to Balmora. What happened after that?" he muttered, confused.

There was a clink of armour by a back door, and Lily looked back to see an Imperial soldier standing at the ready. He was much younger than the census officer, therefore, had a much better memory.

"You asked why they wouldn't just take the silt strider, sir," he reminded. He smiled slightly at the two women, and gave them a respectful nod. Lily almost breathed a sigh of relief at seeing something familiar and comfortable again. "They intended to go to Dagon Fel, sir. That's why you asked about the strider, sir; taking striders would be faster than walking all the way. But they wanted to walk. Striders made one of them uncomfortable."

The old man nodded sagely. "Ah, yes, right… I'm afraid that is all I can recall, at least," he admitted, shaking his head slowly. "So many people have come by since then. I hope that helped."

Marian gave a grateful smile, but she looked lost in her own little world. "Yes. Thank you."

"Odd," the soldier by the door remarked. He glanced at the taxman with a frown. "Earlier this morning, just when my shift started at dawn, someone else was asking about the same man."

Lily felt a jolt of surprise. Who else would bother asking where Baran was? Though he was an important man, none of it had any meaning unless they were from the Shivering Isles. She glanced covertly at Marian; the Manic looked even more confused than the priestess.

"Who was it?" Lily asked cautiously.

The soldier shrugged, making the pauldrons of his armour grind together. "I don't know his name, ma'am. All I know is that he was no mer or beast. Nord, Breton or Imperial, ma'am. I'm afraid I'm not so good with races," he admitted with a shy smile.

"Hm. Strange. Thank you very much for all your help," Lily said gratefully. Marian was already heading for the door. Lily quickly turned and followed her back outside, where she had a clear view of the two children. Suna's blue head was easily visible amidst the dark green foliage of the swamp.

"Considering we just got to Seyda Neen and its only mid-afternoon, that was good progress," Lily remarked. Marian had slowed her pace and was heading for the children. "Should we keep asking around here?"

Marian stopped by a tree quite suddenly and said, "No. We should go straight to Balmora."

Lily went a few steps forward and realized belatedly why Marian had ceased walking. Her boots squelched into the moist swampland and were instantly covered with mud. Squawking, Lily pulled her feet out with a wet _shloop _sound, and stumbled back, scraping her bare elbow against a giant, rough tree. Odd, spiky-shaped leaves rained down on her head, and there was a half-circle mushroom jutting into her neck.

A little boy was laughing nearby, and Lily pried open her eyes—which she hadn't even realized she closed—to see a filthy, mud-streaked Suna hobbling up to her, grinning. "Hypha facia!" she squealed, excited. Lily ducked out of the way of her muddy hands as she reached up and whipped a dagger from her boot to cut off the mushroom. "Wow, I haven't had real Morrowind ingredients in so long. Fresh, too. Wow."

Lily shook the leaves from her hair and looked around for any other potential hazards. Soft, sinking ground—look out for that. "Vvardenfell is terrifying," she whispered, seeing a few of the dirty, common locals giving her confused stares. "I miss Cyrodiil."

"Just wait 'til you see the rest of it," Suna remarked devilishly. She tucked the knife away and dumped the fungus sample into her leather backpack. "How do you get around in Cyrodiil?"

Lily licked her lips and warily eyed Sheo. He was stumbling from the mud pit, drenched head to toe in slime and giggling. "Horses. Walking. Carriages sometimes."

Suna slicked back her hair using the mud from her face. "In Vvardenfell, we have silt striders."

"Everyone keeps mentioning those," Lily remarked, toeing away from Sheo and trying to make sure she wouldn't sink into anymore loose earth. "What are they?"

Suna grabbed her arm, getting greenish mud on the crisp white sleeve. Tugging Lily to the side so her head bonked into the edge of the tree again, she pointed between two buildings, past the Census and Excise Office. "See that? That's a silt strider."

Lily followed her outstretched hand and peered through the buildings, clutching her throbbing forehead. She could barely see it, but there was a dark brown, shell-like object standing just above the rooftops. "That brown thing?"

"Yep! It's a bug," Suna said with a wide grin.

Lily whirled around and her jaw dropped. "A bug?"

Sheo trotted up to them and wiped mud off his face. "It's ginormous. And it feels like they aren't going fast, but they are. Way faster than walking all the way places, at least. They're so fun. Last time, the driver let me poke around a bit," he said, beaming. "It was _so _cool."

Suna nodded enthusiastically. "Mum, are we sticking around Seyda Neen a bit longer?"

"We're going to Balmora now," Marian said, already wandering down the main street of the town to get to the silt strider dock.

"Damn," the girl muttered. She hurried off, whipping out her dagger and cutting ingredients everywhere she could. Sheo ran after her, spraying mud all over the place.

"So if Seyda Neen is the cesspool of Vvardenfell, what's Balmora?" Lily asked. She figured that Seyda Neen was the equivalent of Bravil—she hadn't actually _been _to Bravil much, but it _had _to be the cesspool of Cyrodiil. It was a step down from Leyawiin, which was almost as grubby, though much more racist.

"Balmora," Marian began distantly, "is Split. Some adore it, yet others despise it. It is the second largest municipality on the island. The first is the City of Vivec," she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lily nodded, pretending to agree. "Right, Vivec would be first. But what's Split?"

Marian gave a little shudder. "We had to live there for several weeks during the Greymarch. It was just before I had to remain behind in Bliss while Baran went on to stop Jyggalag. It is most unpleasant."

"Why?"

"It is half Manic and half Demented. Right on the border of Mania and Dementia. The people of Mania are delightful, but the Demented half…" Marian shook her head, her long ponytail of sleek blonde waves swaying down her back. "They are grim. I dislike Dementia."

Lily gave Marian—and her terrifying brown-grey armour—a long stare. "Marian… you're part Demented. I remember you telling me how your grandmother and cousin are Demented."

She clucked her tongue, as if this was a minor roadblock. "Oh, only by genealogy. By Sheogorath, Lily, I was born in Mania."

Watching Sheo chase after his sister, and Suna mutter to herself as she jogged around Seyda Neen to collect fungi and mosses and whatnot, Lily asked, "And they're both born in Mania?"

"Of course. I would never live in Crucible." Marian gave Lily a little frown as they turned a corner and left the main bulk of the weather-worn shacks. "We spent most of our time in Bliss, until the Greymarch ended and Jyggalag named Baran Prince of Madness. Then we lived in the palace. But I didn't want Suna and Sheo to be split," she remarked, as if the last word was bitter on her tongue. "I made sure they were both born in Mania."

"Why would they be split if they were born in the palace?" Though she never was as interested in the Isles before, hearing about Marian and Baran's personal life after they became royalty was actually quite intriguing. Insane, but intriguing nonetheless. "Is it in the middle?"

Marian gave a little nod and gave a sharp, high-pitched whistle. Suna, whose bright blue head was practically invisible in the dense bayou trees around them, and Sheo, who had previously been extremely well camouflaged by his mud, both popped suddenly out of the woodwork, drawn by their mother's call.

"Directly on the border, like the town," she explained, turning her attention back to the dirt path rather than her children. "Baran spent all of his time in the palace. On the throne. In the middle."

Lily saw a cringe pass over her friend's porcelain features. "Random guess: he's split between Manic and Demented now?"

"He is mostly Manic. But yes, his personality has split. Not enough for him to gain two forms, like the unfortunate souls in the town of Split, but enough that he's difficult to read."

Lily rolled her eyes and trudged on. Ha, a taste of her own medicine; with a split-personality husband, Marian would know what it was like having to deal with people who were legitimately insane all the time.

They hiked past a clump of vine-like, dark green mosses dangling from the thick branches of the towering trees, and Lily instantly stopped dead in her tracks. Her companions moved past her, oblivious.

Eyes bulging in horror, she felt her jaw drop at what she saw. Giant. Fifteen—twenty feet tall. Long, spindly legs and matching hard, brown shell. A wooden dock was built up next to it, and a bored looking Dark Elf man was dangling his legs off the side, bringing something to his lips that expelled a thick grey smoke that Lily could smell from their distance.

It was sweet. Sickly sweet, and pleasantly sugary.

Lily blinked. The bug was still there, clicking quietly and slowly moving its legs to get comfortable. She blinked again. Nothing changed. She held her eyes shut.

Still, bug.

Her companions kept walking. They weren't at all concerned that the creature they were walking toward could easily destroy them without a second thought.

Suna was the first to notice Lily was lagging behind. The girl turned around, clutching a huge handful of some sticky, stinky substance. "Ya coming?"

"Is that—"

"Silt strider. Come on."

Lily remained rooted to the ground a moment longer, then managed to get her feet moving. Her boots scuffed along the hard dirt path as she jogged up to the dock, which Marian, Suna and Sheo had already reached. As she thudded onto the old, rotting wood, she cautiously inquired, "Is it safe?"

Suna glanced down and violently stomped on one of the boards. "Sure. Why not?"

Pressing her lips tightly together, Lily took another step forward. "I meant the silt strider."

"Oh, yeah. They're harmless. Completely docile."

In fact, Sheo had already launched into a hollow just behind the head, big enough to fit probably six average humanoids. He was excitedly bouncing around, which didn't seem to irk the silt strider in the least. Two long claws arching out from beneath its head twitched, but otherwise, it remained still.

The Dark Elf man stood as they stopped, and the sickly sweet smell enveloped them. He blew a large mouthful of the opaque grey smoke from between his lips and held his hand at his side, where he was holding a small stone pipe. "Where can I take you today, sera?"

Lily sniffed delicately. The smell coming from his pipe wasn't bad; in fact, it was almost pleasant. It was also faintly familiar, as if she had smelled it once a long time ago. She shook her head, abandoning the idea; she knew she had never seen smoke like that before.

Marian rolled her shoulders, making her pauldrons scrape against her cuirass. She had left the scary, matching helmet at home, so her long hair was free to flow down her back in its makeshift ponytail as she moved. "Balmora," she instructed without preamble.

The man took another long drag on his pipe, blinking slowly. "Twenty gold apiece," he grunted, and tapped the contents of the bowl into the water below.

Behind him, Sheo's jaw dropped.

"Why so expensive all the sudden?" Suna asked.

The Dunmer exhaled the smoke on her face and tucked away his pipe. "A dying Empire, sera. Need help into the strider?"

Marian and Suna clambered in immediately, but Lily remained locked on the dock.

Grinning, Suna jabbed her thumb at the redhead and said, "She will—she's new to Vvardenfell, and is hell-bent that these things'll rip your face off."

The caravaner smirked and held out his hand to help her in. "They won't—'less you're a redhead. Sorry, sera, you have to walk to Balmora."

Lily glanced at Marian, who was calmly shelling out eighty drakes. "We could walk," she pointed out, shrugging.

Marian didn't even look up from the pile of gold in her hand as she said, "We are not walking to Balmora. Get in the strider."

Taking the Dark Elf's stinky hand—a cloud of the sugary smoke seemed to invisibly engulf him—Lily stepped shakily off the creaky wooden dock and into the hollow carved into the silt strider's back. Somebody had thoughtfully covered the shell seats with thick blankets, and everything looked relatively comfortable.

Still, they were sitting in the shell of a bug.

Shakily seating herself next to Marian and gripping the spiky metal greaves for support, Lily gritted her teeth and mumbled, "Do we have to take these often?"

"Unless we have to walk," Marian murmured, handing the caravaner the money after he nimbly hopped into the drivers' spot in front of them. Pokey sticks jutted out from a mass of membranous organs in front of his seat—it looked as though somebody had sawn off part of the strider's skull.

"And there's no service in remote areas up north, and on the Telvanni coast," Suna added, smiling broadly.

"Thank you, sera." The Dark Elf tucked away the money and arched dark eyebrows at Sheo, who was nearly half out of the shell seat. "Will he fall?"

"No," Marian murmured.

"Okay. To Balmora, then," the caravaner said as he turned and sat, and began using the sticks to poke and prod at the exposed tissues. The strider seemed to groan to life, and the long, spindly legs lifted and stomped forward, taking them slowly, but surely, toward the Split of Vvardenfell—whatever that meant—which was Balmora.

—

They arrived just as evening was settled in—and an angry black storm cloud rolled over southern Vvardenfell. As soon as the silt strider slowed toward a tall, limestone-like dock built into a city wall, Marian leaped off, nearly dropping her supply bag as she did. Suna and Sheo calmly climbed after her, followed by Lily—who was kindly helped by their caravaner, and the driver standing on the dock next to his own monstrous bug.

"What's the rush, Mum?" Suna called, shouldering her backpack and waiting for her little brother and the priestess to collect their things from the strider.

Marian was already lunging down the steep set of stairs leading from the dock to the hardened, cracked earth beneath. "It is beginning to rain," she breathed, eyes wider than dinner plates as she whirled around to gawk up at them. A pauper hunched on the ground beside a basket stared at her in bewilderment. "Please, Suna, hurry!"

Suna groaned theatrically and thumped down the stairs, with Sheo and Lily following. "Jeez, Mum, you're so overdramatic."

Lily looked up into the sky. It sure looked like it was about to rain, but had it even started yet? She held up a hand, feeling cool wind picking up, but no raindrops. Looking down at Marian as they reached the bottom of the stairs—the Manic had shoved herself against the wall of the nearest building, beside the astonished pauper beneath an awning.

Marian's eyes were squeezed painfully shut now, and the tips of her metal-backed gauntlets were gouging deep wounds into the wall behind her. "We have to go," she whispered. "We have to go."

Lily flinched as something cold and wet smacked her forehead. Peering down at the dry earth, she noticed dark splatters here and there. Spread apart, few and far between—but most definitely there. "Marian, it's not even raining that badly," she mentioned, rubbing the drop off her forehead.

Marian pried open one eye, saw the moisture in the ground, and immediately emitted a terrified shriek. Suna slapped her hand over her mother's mouth to shut her up, but it was probably too late. Everyone in Balmora would have heard it.

Lily grimaced as Marian tried to wrench her daughter's hand away. She hadn't seen Marian this panicked since, well… sometime in Cyrodiilic winter, fifteen years before. But that scream… it was exactly like the first time Lily had met the Manic, and Marian had gone outside Cloud Ruler Temple during a snowstorm. It was a cry of unadulterated terror. Like a young child one hundred percent sure he had seen a monster.

Sheo, upon seeing his mother in such distress, immediately followed her lead and began to sob. Marian pressed herself flatter against the wall, tears mingling with the rain managing to spat on her face.

"Is she okay?" the pauper asked from her spot on the hard ground. She was staring up at Marian with huge green cat eyes.

Lily sighed softly as Suna struggled to restrain her mother. "She will be."

The Khajiit shook her head and pulled her legs up to her chest, muttering something that sounded an awful lot like, "Fucking crazy," under her breath. Lily found it suiting, if it was really what the pauper said.

"We have to take her to an inn, get her out of the rain," Suna said, having finally managed to pin Marian to the wall.

"Where?" Lily looked around. All she saw were people running inside the square, limestone buildings to flee from the rain, and a river cutting the town in half. "I've never been here before."

"_Not_," Suna emphasized, "Eight Plates. The Council Club is okay, but not great. The Lucky Lockup is probably the best choice."

"May I ask why not Eight Plates?"

"Hlaalu hangout. We're Redoran."

Something small and hard suddenly bounced off Lily's thigh, and she looked down, shocked, to see Sheo glaring up at her, his little hands balled into fists. "Hurry!" he pleaded desperately.

Lily glanced back at Suna. Marian had stopped struggling and seemed to go completely limp, except for her muffled sobs. Suna was shoving her against the wall, somehow keeping her upright. "Okay, so no Eight Plates. We don't need a House rumble going down. Which is the closest?"

Suna bit her lip. "I don't remember."

The Khajiit pauper purred and held out her hands to either side. "Council Club," she said, gesturing to the left, "Lucky Lockup." The right hand moved this time.

They were standing, conveniently, right between the two preferable inns. Perfect that they'd be right across the street from the silt strider when Marian decided to have a meltdown.

Suna grinned. "Thank you," she exclaimed, and brutally pushed her mother toward their left, the Khajiit's right—to the Lucky Lockup. Sheo scuttled past, holding open the door, and Lily brought up the rear. Marian let out a loud cry of relief upon being inside and finding fire—which she immediately made a beeline for.

Lily held the door a moment longer. The Khajiit was quickly getting soaked from the wind and rain, but she simply sat there in the coming mud, her lids half shut as she stared up at the sky.

Sighing softly, Lily let the door slide shut and she went inside to help tend to her friend. Marian was staring into the little fire with Sheo on her lap, clinging desperately to her; Marian didn't even seem to notice his presence, actually. Suna was at the main counter, talking to a very aged Imperial fellow.

Deciding that the—currently—sanest Manic was the way to go, Lily approached Suna and the Imperial just in time to hear Suna asking about rooms.

"Fifteen gold per night, per person," he said with a sigh. Lines raked his face, showing his age, and he was slightly hunched. Altogether, quite frail. "I hated having to raise the price, but there's inflation going around. It's like a disease."

"That's okay. Fifteen's good. Gotta make a living somehow." Suna opened the top flap of her backpack and fished around until she found the money. "Here. It'll be me, her—" She cocked her head toward Lily, and the priestess smiled as a greeting. "—and the two by the fire."

The publican smiled awkwardly at Lily, then fixed his gaze at Suna. Or rather, at Suna's electric hair.

Suna didn't seem to notice. "We've been here before. Usually with my dad though. Baran ring any bells?"

He blinked, confused, then nodded slowly. "Ah. Yes. Yes, of course. Baran. He always stops by whenever he's in town. Why isn't he with you now?"

Suna shrugged and made a dismissive, "Eh," sound. "This is Benunius Agrudilius. He owns the place, runs the place, all that."

Lily smiled sweetly and gave a little bow. "A pleasure, sir."

The Imperial gawked, amazed, as if to say, "How are you so polite and, well, _not them?_"

To answer his unasked question, Lily murmured, "I was a priestess."

Agrudilius nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, it's a pleasure to have the four of you staying here."

Suna gave a mock salute and wandered off toward the hearth, where her mother and brother appeared to have fallen asleep. Lily watched them for a while as Suna crouched beside them and leaned her forehead on Marian's shoulder, spiky pauldrons and all. Feeling a pang of sorrow, she turned away, looking at the stone floor.

"Is something amiss?" the publican asked.

Lily smiled lopsidedly. "I just miss my children."

_Not my ass of a husband._

Something pinched her heart. _Him too_, her conscience corrected.

"I didn't know priestesses had children, or at least ones they associated themselves with," Benunius said with a furrowed white frown. "I always figured they were always too busy with their lady."

Lily started to open her mouth to explain what she meant, but she stopped, jaw hanging open, when she clued in as to what he said. "Lady?" she repeated. Akatosh had never been referred to as a woman before. She had heard the barbarians of Vvardenfell were backwards, but this was too much. And the man was _Imperial. _How odd.

He nodded and groaned, rubbing an arthritic hand over his neck. "Azura."

She stared at him blankly for several long minutes. "I worship Akatosh," she said, flatly, after she realized he was accusing—well, maybe that was the wrong word—her of praising a Daedric Prince. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time someone thought she worshipped the Princes of Oblivion.

Lily found it increasingly bizarre that the publican looked as perplexed as she felt.

"Akatosh? Of the Imperial Cult?"

"I—I've never heard it called that before, but I suppose so…"

Looking somewhat flustered, the old man held out a hand of apology. "I'm sorry, ma'am. When you said priestess, I instantly assumed you meant Azura. Her followers are called priestesses, and nobody out here worships the Nine Divine except a few guards in the forts and the people down in Ebonheart. Also, well…" His pale face flushed a light pink, and he looked away.

"What?" Lily asked, curious.

He shook his lead lightly. "You smell like moon sugar, ma'am. I hope I'm not too out of line saying it. I've never heard of any Imperial Cultists using moon sugar."

Lily lifted her arm and sniffed delicately at the sleeve of her shirt. Sickly sweet, like the Dunmer caravaner, who had lit up another pipe on the ride to Balmora. "Oh. That. That's moon sugar? It can be smoked?"

"Smoked, snorted, drank as skooma," the man said with a sigh. "Sorry. I must seem terribly rude."

"No, of course not. The Dark Elf who gave us a ride on his silt strider from Seyda Neen was smoking."

The publican rolled his eyes as if this was a regular thing.

If it was, that was really quite terrifying.

"Excuse me for a moment." Lily backed away from her conversation companion and saw the three Manics all bundled together in a comfortable pile before the fire. Smiling sadly to herself, she shouldered her bag and pushed open the door to the inn. The Khajiit pauper was exactly where she had been left; only now she was soaked to the bone.

Lily hopped off the steps to the Lucky Lockup and splashed into the mud beside the pauper. Big cat eyes gave her a strange frown, but she ignored it as she stood next to the Khajiit in the pouring rain. A flash flood seemed to have overtaken Balmora by force. They were likely the only ones outside; even the silt strider caravaner for this port had vanished.

"You should come inside," Lily said over the sounds of the rain pattering the flat stone roofs. "You could get sick out here."

The Khajiit's ears fluttered as she shed rain. "I'm not allowed inside."

"They don't let you in?"

"I am unclean." She growled softly, but Lily knew no menace was directed toward her.

"If you paid?"

"They would still refuse me."

Lily unbuckled her backpack and dug up a few coins from her little collection. Leaning against the stone wall of the Lucky Lockup, she slid into the mud beside the Khajiit. It was unpleasantly cold and soft as it oozed around her, seeping through the seams of her simple trousers, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it. Once she was settled in the mud next to the pauper, she held out the ten septims in her hand.

The Khajiit gave her a wide-eyed stare. "I can't take your money."

"Yes, you can." Without waiting for an answer or another protest, Lily opened the cat's palm and pressed the money into her hand. "Everyone deserves fairness. And if they won't give you a fire, at least you can buy food somewhere."

Her ears fell flat to the side, making her look like a drowned kitten. "You aren't like any other Imperial I know."

Smiling, Lily said proudly, "That's because I'm Breton."

The homeless Khajiit made a sound that could've been a laugh. Tucking the coins away in her shirt, she said, "You may go inside. You don't have to stay out here in the rain and dirt."

Settling more comfortably in the slick mud, Lily replied, "Yes, I do. You deserve company."

"You are very kind." The cat sounded surprised.

Lily smiled to herself and rubbed her arms. She had done things like this all the time during the cold Kvatch winters; bringing clothes and blankets and soup for the homeless who littered the streets outside the arena; feeding them, warming them, and simply sitting with them to give them company. It was something she had missed greatly during her years away from the chapel—and away from Martin.

And so, as the frigid spring rain fell in sheets to Balmora, turning the cracked earth to slime and soaking through everything, Lily embraced her inner priestess and simply sat.


	9. Daughters and demons

Lily picked a clump of dried mud from her hair as she pulled pieces apart to braid. "So how are we going to go about our search in Balmora?" she asked, glancing over at Marian, who was sleepily pushing a large, smelly cooked egg around her plate. Lily was told they were kwama eggs and were quite edible, but she had no clue what a kwama even was.

Marian rubbed at her eyes and tiredly leaned on her hand. "I am unsure. It is unlikely they stayed here long… though I have no idea where they even went. Oh, I wish my lord Sheogorath were here," she pined suddenly, dropping her fork on the table with a clatter. "He would have an answer for this. After all, Baran was his champion and the duke…"

Lily scowled and brushed dirt crumbs from her hair. "Duke? I thought he was the Prince."

"Yes, after he was the Duke of Dementia. I became the Duchess of Mania at the same time he became the Duke of Dementia."

"I thought he wasn't Demented."

"He isn't," Suna concurred. "But he really liked Thadon and would rather have Syl's position so he and Thadon could be friends. Too bad Thadon died anyways."

Sheo leaned over to whisper to Lily, "I bribed Boethiah with chocolate sweetrolls, and he said he was planning on killing Syl. It was just good timing when Dad killed her first. Boethiah didn't want to have to go all the way to the Isles from Attribution's Share."

Lily smiled and held up her hand. "So let me get this straight: Boethiah likes chocolate sweetrolls, Malacath likes burned cookies, and Clavicus Vile is greedy about everything."

Sheo nodded and grinned. "Yep! I got the best job ever, 'cause everyone likes me."

Lily laughed softly and looked back at Marian, who had picked up a piece of egg and watched it splat back on her plate. "There isn't a census office here, is there?"

"Only in Seyda Neen," Marian confirmed, and finally took a bite. "We can go to the temple. We can ask guards. Surely someone saw them when they passed through."

The wooden door clattered shut as a small group of young Dunmer entered the Lucky Lockup. They were all laughing and grinning about something, and three of them grabbed a table while the other two ordered at the counter. Unfortunately, their table was close to Lily's, and she wasn't really in the mood to listen to teenagers gabble.

There were two women and three men, all Dark Elves in their late teens or early twenties—though, as they were Elven, that could mean they were still young children, or several dozen decades old, and considered young adults. Though Lily remembered herself at that age fondly—except the part when Tamriel was almost destroyed by Mehrunes Dagon—she _definitely _hadn't been loud and obnoxious in an inn, like these mer were.

Of course, she amended silently, she was huddled up in a chapel in Kvatch. There's not a lot of trouble one can get up to when one is a priestess for Akatosh.

Marian seemed to be brooding about something, so she remained silent as she slowly picked through her kwama egg. Suna and Sheo were talking about the Princes; at first, hearing them discuss Hircine and Namira in open public made Lily's blood freeze, but she remembered they were in Morrowind, where Daedric worshipping was a common practice.

Lily absently sipped at her drink and traced the whorls and knots on the tabletop, listening absently to the conversations the Dark Elves were having. Talking about the old Almsivi; heading on a road trip to Sanguine's shrine for the summer (Lily could only imagine what that would lead to); maybe going camping out in the Ashlands, just to see what it was like.

As she finished off her drink and pushed the cup aside, their voices suddenly dropped.

"Marxyn," one whispered, and Lily perked up. If they were whispering, it had to be interesting. She discreetly paid attention to what they said after the man whispered the name again. "Marxyn, see that?"

The wooden chairs shifted and creaked as one of them moved. "Yeah. So what? Just another Imperial," a woman snapped coldly.

The other girl, with a younger, gentler voice, murmured, "We don't do crucifixions anymore, Xedyn. You know that."

Lily shivered and tried not to let it show. She hadn't known some of the citizens of Morrowind—or maybe just Vvardenfell—crucified Imperials. She made a hasty, inner prayer to Akatosh, and thanked the fact she knew how to protect herself if it came to blows with these kids.

"No, whatever, I don't care about the Imperial 'cause she's an Imperial," the man, Xedyn, muttered, softer than before. Lily really had to pay attention to hear them. "See her? What does she remind you of?"

"That kid I saw today," the cold voice, Marxyn, replied after a moment.

"There's an Imperial kid in Balmora?" one of the other men asked, startled. His friends hushed him.

"Well, other than those two right there," Marxyn said frigidly, "me and Xedyn saw two earlier this morning. One looked exactly like her. Fetching Imperial s'wit are bringing their spawn into Vvardenfell."

The kinder girl huffed. "Marxyn, come on. Your mother was a mage. Use your magical abilities. She's not Imperial."

Well, hearing that dashed any of Lily's hopes they had been talking about Marian or Suna, rather than her. Her little party, plus the Dunmer group, were the only patrons of the Lucky Lockup at that particular moment in time.

Marxyn was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, "Fine. She's Breton. They're all the same."

Their conversation moved off after a moment. They left the subject alone, and instead started talking about Magicka; apparently three of the five were practiced spell casters, including this Marxyn and the soft-voiced girl. Since she no longer had to pay close attention to them, Lily let her mind wander back to what they said.

The prevalent thought was: There was an Imperial kid in Balmora who looked exactly like Lily?

She buried her face in her hands at the horror of the thought. Had Jake brought Rem and Mallory to Vvardenfell rather than go home?

"Are you okay?" Suna asked, poking Lily in the shoulder with the back of her fork. "Your face suddenly got redder than your hair."

Leaning closer to the blue-haired girl, Lily whispered, "I think Jake, Remmy and Mallory are in Balmora."

"Why?"

Lily discreetly nudged her head in the direction of the young Dunmer table. "Overheard them."

Suna glanced their way, and Lily tuned back into their conversation.

One of the other men remarked, "Met a High Elf once who wasn't a total n'wah. Only one of his kind, though. Got to be a bit of Dunmer in him."

"A half-breed?" the other nameless man scoffed. "Not likely."

After he spoke, there was an awkward silence at the table.

The soft-voiced girl said, "That was really out of line, you s'wit." The insult was gentle, but the menace was there.

"Why?" he demanded rudely. "We're all pure blood Dunmer here. Why've I got to shut up?"

Wood suddenly clattered loudly as a chair was shoved back and toppled over. Using the disturbance as an excuse, Lily turned and openly stared at them. One of the women, a girl with odd, smudgy red eyes, light grey skin and long brown hair, was standing and scowling evilly at one of the men, while her companions all gawked at her. Her chair was sprawled on the floor behind her.

Lily glanced at the proprietor. He looked as though he wanted to intervene.

But the girl's hands were glowing red.

The man was frowning up at her in confusion. "What's gotten into you, Marxyn?"

So this was the Imperial-hater.

"Pure blood Dunmer," she growled. She was tall, even for an Elf, but that didn't seem too odd. What was odd were her eyes, and her light skin. There was something simply off about both of them. "What do you know about the world, Aldonyn? Nothing!" She spat, and somehow the spittle flew across the table and hit him. This girl sure wasn't frivolous.

Aldonyn grimaced and wiped off his face. Slowly he stood, oblivious to everyone staring at the two of them. "What the fuck is your problem, Marxyn?"

Her lip twisted and her hands darkened to an evil purple hue. Without warning, her hands shot up and Aldonyn suddenly froze perfectly in place. He teetered on the spot a moment then, remaining perfectly still, fell sideways to the floor with a resounding crash.

Very slowly, Marxyn picked up her chair and sat back down at the table. Everyone ignored the fallen Elf.

The soft-voiced Dunmer, who had luxurious black hair in a long ponytail, glanced nervously toward Lily and her friends, before reaching out and softly touching Marxyn's robed shoulder. "That was out of line," she whispered anxiously. "He just made a comment. He didn't know."

A man with a tattoo all down the front of his chest—he was shirtless—nodded his agreement and reached across the table to pat Marxyn's hand. "He doesn't know any of us. He's just a fool."

She yanked her hand away, and the black-haired girl pulled back. "He knows my mother fucked an Imperial. Everyone knows," she growled. "Ranis Athrys, whore to Imperial s'wit."

The two men who weren't paralyzed gave each other awkward looks. The black-haired girl stood and hurried over to Marxyn's side. "Come on, Marx," she urged, pulling her friend to her feet. Marxyn stood, but in her fury, nearly stumbled on the hem of her long, dark blue robe. "Come on, let's get you home."

All was silent as the two women left the Lucky Lockup. As soon as they were gone, the two remaining men bent and hoisted up their friend, and quietly carried him outside, leaving the bar as empty as it had been when they arrived.

Once they were all gone, the proprietor scuffled up to their table with fresh drinks. "So sorry about that," he said hastily as he set down the cups and collected the old ones. "Marxyn Athrys doesn't know how to control her temper sometimes, especially when it comes to her blood."

"Is that why she looked so funny?" Sheo asked curiously as he poked his fingers into the yolk of his own kwama egg. "Her eyes were all muddy looking."

The old man smiled awkwardly. "Aye, I suppose they are. Her father's Imperial, as she said. She's half-breed."

Lily gawped at him. "How did _that _pairing come about? Dark Elves and Imperial hate each other."

"Especially here," Suna piped up encouragingly. "Never met her before, but Dad's told me about her. Apparently her mum's a hell of a good mage."

"Ranis? Certainly she's talented. Marxyn picked up on that craft as well, but she just can't get some of the spells right. Thinks it's the Imperial clogging her blood." He rolled his eyes dramatically, making Sheo giggle.

"What's the story behind it?" Lily asked. "I'm afraid I've never heard."

"Oh, twenty-odd years ago, some Imperial fellow was in town. Ranis took a liking to him, and when he left back for Cyrodiil, she was pregnant, poor thing. I don't think she's heard from him since, either."

Suna shook her head and brushed her hair from her eyes. "He's probably just some sick bastard who gets his kicks of abandoning women. She's probably better off without him."

The old man shook his head. "Hm, I hope you're right. All her life, Marxyn's been saying how if he ever shows his face in Balmora again, she'll prove to him what she's capable of. Even though she's a very young child in Elven terms, she is a very good mage. Here's to hoping he's stuck to Cyrodiil." With that, he turned and scuttled back to his counter.

Once he was safely out of hearing, Lily said, "We still need a plan for today. I don't know where to look, as I've never been here before. And if my family is here, I want to find them."

"We'll split up." Suna chugged back her water and rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand. She was grubby—they all were—and it looked as though her leather outfit hadn't been cleaned ever since she got it. "I know Balmora pretty well. I'll go with you. Mum and Sheo got to stick together." She looked over at her mother, who didn't seem to be functioning very well. After the rainstorm and the growing pain of missing Baran, she was in rough shape. Lily thought it was a good thing she would have the comfort of her son with her; even if she was in a slump, if anything happened to her baby, she would instantly protect him.

Suna quickly finished her breakfast. After telling her mother they would cross the river into the residential area, she tugged on Lily's sleeve and they filed from the Lucky Lockup.

The day was grey, still reminded of the previous night's storm, but the weather was otherwise pleasant. After taking a moment to gawk at the funny-armoured guards that wandered about (Suna called them Hlaalu guards, with some disgust, herself being Redoran), Lily followed Suna past the Council Club and to the stone bridges that crossed the vast expanse of the lazy Odai River.

It was still relatively early in the morning, but people were out and about. Fishermen were toying with nets at the edges of the river, near the city walls, and a squabble of Dark Elf women were carrying baskets and wandering around open stores and stalls of strange Morrowind foods, gossiping as they shopped. It was all very homey and pleasant, and Lily almost forgot why they were there.

As soon as they crossed a bride, Suna waylaid an imposing guardsman. She had more courage than she was worth; Lily never would have flounced up to the heavily-armoured, probably grumpy Dark Elf like that.

"Hey, do you know where we can talk to your commander?" Suna asked without any polite preamble.

The chipped, yellowed helm turned toward Suna, and as Lily slunk up behind her, she could just see the fiery red eyes within. "Wouldn't you rather go to Fort Moonmoth?" he growled. Lily was quickly learning that Vvardenfell Dark Elves had very raspy accents. Probably from inhaling dust all day. "Imperial?" he added with some menace.

Unfazed, Suna responded, "Not at all, actually. So where's your commander at?"

The guard grunted some directional guard tower's name, and Suna flashed him a super toothy smile before leading the way. Lily followed, feeling the guard's heated glare boring into her back until they passed behind a fish stall that reeked of the smelly river.

Catching up with Suna's long strides, Lily asked softly, "Was that a good idea? Talking to the guard like that?"

Suna shrugged nonchalantly, her fingers tapping on her axe. "Eh, whatever. He's just an underling anyways. Doesn't matter if I piss him off. Now his commander? Different story altogether. C'mon. He's got to know about what goes on in this town." She sped up and moved past a clump of tourists (they made it obvious by saying things like, "Wow, Balmora is so different than Vivec!"), and then they climbed a short set of stairs toward a large, square tower along the city wall.

Lily hesitated at the door at the top of the stairs, but Suna didn't wait before yanking it open and prancing inside. Reluctantly following, Lily was pleased to find it was similar to the Lucky Lockup in terms of architecture. Everything in Balmora seemed to be made of that grey-brown limestone, with very rectangular or square shapes, and little in the way of over the top furnishings. This guard tower was no exception to that.

Up another set of stairs they hiked. They came to a little living area, with a wooden table where four guards in plain clothes were eating. A fifth was standing in the corner, inspecting a gauntlet of his bizarre bone-like armour with a worried scowl.

One of the men looked up as Suna floated into the room. He paused in his eating, holding his spoon halfway to his mouth. "What do you want, outlander?" he demanded, though Lily was happy he was a little less rude than the first guard. They also didn't seem irked that she and Suna had barged into their tower, so it must be open to the public at all times.

"Just to know where your commander is," she said cheerfully. Her hair was the brightest thing in the room; the guard in the corner had stopped scowling over his gauntlet, and instead chose to stare openly at the blueness. "I've got a few questions about a kidnapping."

"Does it involve the Dunmeri?" another guard asked.

"Nope. A Redguard, actually."

The third snorted disdainfully. "Then we are not interested."

Suna remained smiling. "He's the Champion of Cyrodiil."

For all her insane little quirks, Suna really was a very intelligent girl.

The Dark Elf in the corner slowly put his gauntlet down and straightened. "I am the commander," he rasped. "Who are you?"

"Suna." No last name required; it was a Redguard thing.

The commander turned his narrowed red gaze on Lily. She managed a sweet, priestess-y smile and said, "I'm Lily Bercarius."

One of the guards at the table laughed and shook his head. "We're going to help a Redguard and an Imperial?" The others, save the commander, chuckled.

Lily was happy to have their ignorance save them the trouble of explaining, but Suna would have nothing of it. "Actually," she said knowingly, "I'm only a Redguard by paternal heritage. I'm mostly Imperial. And she's just married to an Imperial," she explained, jerking her thumb in Lily's direction. Her freckles were instantly hidden by her flaming cheeks as the crimson eyes turned on her. Suna continued to smile in the same distant, distracted way Marian did. "She's actually Breton. So you're going to help an Imperial and a Breton."

The other guards hushed up after her speech. The commander continued to stare, but he didn't move from his spot in the corner. "So what do you want?"

"So, Baran—the Champion of Cyrodiil, y'know—he went missing from Mournhold a couple months ago." She waved a hand, showing that precisely when was irrelevant. "He showed up in Seyda Neen in Sun's Dawn, and the census officer said him and a bunch of other guys, Dark Elves, I think, were headed for Dagon Fel, through Balmora, to take the silt strider."

"And you expect me to remember a group of Dunmeri and a Redguard? I am not a census officer," he grumbled irately.

"Well, he's not exactly hard to miss." And so, just as Marian had done in Seyda Neen, Suna went through all of Baran's mutilations, brought upon him by the wrath of a very vengeful Khajiit. Once she was finished listing the scars and marks, she smiled innocently at the open-mouthed guards.

The commander stroked his smooth chin. "I recall seeing him. But when, I don't know. And only briefly. I was otherwise occupied at the time."

The first guard who had spoken, the one with the porridge, gave a short nod. "You were talking to Varlais, f'lah," he said respectfully.

With a flash of memory, the commander gave a weak smile and nodded his agreement. "Ah, yes, you're right. And Varlais pointed out that the Champion was in town, but that was all that was said. It was sometime in Sun's Dawn; I'm surprised I remember so far."

Suna's thick brown brows beetled together. "Varlais? That's a weird name."

"He's Altmer," one of the guards, one with short white hair, pointed out.

While Suna remarked, "Still doesn't sound very High Elfy," memories tugged at Lily's brain. She knew that name, but how? She could picture a very tall, very handsome Altmer with long, white-blonde hair…

"Is he a mage?" she asked suddenly, and felt her face flare as the guards' gazes all turned on her.

"A powerful one," White-hair confirmed. "Written lots of books on Morrowind." This was said with some respect; and that confirmed Lily's memory. She had met Varlais once, in the great hall of the castle of County Cheydinhal, and as far as she could recall, he was good friends with the Dunmer count. Due to his work, he was in high standing with the Dark Elves, at least.

Suna suddenly perked up. "Oh! _Him_. The Mages Guild writer. Gods, I love his books on the flora of Morrowind!"

The commander waved a hand. "That's all I know. Too much goes on for me to pay attention to a kidnapped Redguard, even if it's the Champion of Cyrodiil."

One of the guards snickered and muttered something rude about him being the Champion of _Cyrodiil_, and therefore of no importance in Morrowind, let alone Vvardenfell.

The commander ignored it, despite Suna's roots staring to turn a menacing shade of red. "Go talk to the caravaner at the silt strider port. Talk to guild leaders. I'd suggest the temple priests, but the Almsivi is long gone; the only ones left cling to Vivec." He made a disgusted face. "Just ask people around town. If you're lucky, they can help. This is all the information I can give you." With that, they were dismissed. He picked up a heavy pauldron this time, and began examining a dent on the edge.

"C'mon," Suna whispered, and led Lily back downstairs, and out of the guard tower. Once they were back outside, Suna's roots were once again a pleasant, electric blue, and she gave a leisurely stretch. "Well, that was pointless. You'd think the guard commander would know a little more about his town."

"Whoever took Baran likely wanted secrecy," Lily pointed out as Suna messed up her hair with one hand. "The only reason we've come so far is because of Baran's unique appearance."

"Well, okay, fine. Let's keep asking around. Maybe we can find out where this Varlais is."

"You think he'll know anything?"

"No, I just really like his books. Let's go to the temple."

—

The Dark Elves at the temple were useless. And, for whatever reason, extremely protective and rude. As soon as Suna mentioned Baran's disappearance, they hissed angrily at them for get out, that their business was not wanted at a temple of Vivec. As they were being ushered out by two venomous priests, Suna dared to ask what was at or near Dagon Fel that was so interesting, and they merely slammed the temple door in their faces.

Bummed, Suna led the way across the district to start knocking on doors and asking around. As their prospects grew bleaker and bleaker, Lily prayed Marian and Sheo were having better luck.

As they talked to some old Dark Elf lady clutching a fluffy white pillow about her middle, she rudely interrupted Suna's spiel to say that she had already been questioned by an Imperial regarding the same matter, and she wanted to be left alone.

Confused and helpless, they continued to wander their half of Balmora.

Another door, the last they had to try, bore the name 'South Wall Corner Club' on a flag near the building. Guessing it was a public place, Suna scuttled inside, with Lily on her heels, extremely wary about it. Inside, it was just like any other Balmora building, only the lights seemed to be less. As they crept into the main hall, a Khajiit woman with exceptionally long whiskers wandered up to them, a curious look on her face.

"What can Ajhardi Habasi do for you?" she purred, friendly. Suna and Lily had no choice but to talk to her, since she was blocking the way to the rest of the building.

Suna looked a little startled. Lily guessed she hadn't much interaction with Khajiiti in her lifetime. Lily, on the other hand, was quite accustomed to the bizarre way in which some spoke; Lucrezia, Jake's Thieves Guild buddy, spoke exactly like an Imperial the majority of the time, probably because of her association with them, whereas Jake's old shadow Dar'vaba used to refer to people as 'this one' and 'insert-prominent-physical-feature-here one'.

For once, Lily stepped forward and took control, while Suna gaped dumbly onward. "What is this place?" she asked. Might as well get pure curiosity done and over with before the actual investigating started.

The Khajiit's tail flicked to the side. "South Wall Corner Club," she said, quite simply. "Which tigress does Ajhardi speak to?"

This was probably the most catlike Khajiit Lily had ever addressed. "Lily Bercarius," she replied politely, with a smile.

Whiskers flicked, probably in the cat's best imitation of a smile. "And who is this kitten?" She waved a clawed paw toward Suna, who looked staggered.

"That's Suna."

Big yellow eyes narrowed. "She does not talk much."

"You can't usually shut her up. Do you own this place?" Lily asked, deciding to get down to business.

Ajhardi shook her head and moved her ears back, just a bit. "This one's mother is downstairs; would the tigress wish to speak with her?"

Lily nodded, and they followed Ajhardi at a reasonable distance. Ducking to Lily's side and keeping her voice down, Suna whispered, "Why is she calling you tigress?"

"Oh, my hair, I expect. Or it's just a native honorific. I'm sure if there are any blue cats in existence, that's what they'll be calling you."

They followed Ajhardi down several flights of stairs, and finally they ended in a basement. Another, older Khajiit who bore a striking resemblance to Ajhardi was seated in a chair in the corner, and men and women of other races wandered about, smoking, chatting, and in one man's case, slowly sharpening a dagger.

Ajhardi led them to the Khajiit in the corner. She growled something softly in their native tongue, and then backed off.

The older Khajiit purred in welcome. "This one is Sugar-Lips Habasi."

"Lily Bercarius, and my companion, Suna."

Ajhardi, standing behind her mother's chair, rested a paw on Sugar-Lips' shoulder. "The tigress and the madcat wish to speak with Sugar-Lips."

Suna twitched at Lily's side. "Madcat?" Lily repeated softly, just so Suna could hear. But she got no answer; Suna had gone eerily still. Lily stole a glance to her side, and noticed with some surprise that Suna's roots were slowly turning from blue to orange. How odd.

Sugar-Lips squinted aged eyes and hooked one claw in a distinctive beckoning gesture. "Tigress."

Lily shuffled a few steps forward.

The cat slowly nodded. "Mm, yes, it is as Sugar-Lips suspected. Does the pup know she is here?"

Ajhardi shrugged, and the other men and women—a Redguard woman, an Argonian of indeterminate sex, and a little Wood Elf fellow—all shook their heads.

"Where is the pup?"

"Still upstairs," the Bosmer squeaked. "With the little ones. Should I get him?"

Sugar-Lips stroked her chin fur. "Yes, retrieve the pup. Sugar-Lips still must tell him of his kitten."

Apparently forgotten, Lily stepped back and gave Suna a questioning look. By now, her entire head was bright, pleasant orange, rather like a carrot—and a little less natural looking than Lily's colour, but otherwise they were similar.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Lily asked quietly.

Suna, tight-lipped and still looking horrified, shook her head.

Lily clasped her hands behind her and tried to keep from conjuring something for a little added protection. What in Tamriel had they stumbled upon?

The Wood Elf slipped from view without her noticing. Sugar-Lips and her daughter were consulting each other using a variety of purrs and growls and meows. The Khajiiti language, in all its glory.

Smothering her racist thoughts—sometimes she felt the pressure to dislike Orcs (ugh, but that was an understandable dislike), Khajiiti and Argonians, because she had grown up in pompous Cyrodiil—toward the desert-cats and their tongue, she chose instead to scan the room. Really, other than the Khajiiti speaking in something other than Cyrodilic, it wasn't such an unusual atmosphere. But there was something off about it.

Something that might have to do with Suna's bizarre behaviour, and her stupidly bright orange hair.

Lily thought back. Orange was the only colour Suna didn't have a theory behind.

Footsteps echoed on the steps behind them. Lily turned, tugging on Suna's arm to get her to do the same, and she spotted the Wood Elf returning, a tall, brunette fellow in tow.

Lily's jaw instantly dropped to the floor.

"_Jake?_"

Somebody purred loudly behind her. "Ah, there is the pup."

Wondering in the back of her mind _why _Jake always attracted Khajiit who gave him nicknames—first Dar'vaba with Cub, and now Sugar-Lips with pup—Lily stared in absolute wonder and shock as the Wood Elf stepped to the side and Jake slunk into the room, awkwardly pushing his hand over his hair. His dark eyes carefully avoided meeting with hers.

"Jacob Reman Bercarius the Sixth," she snarled, clenching her fists. He was supposed to be going back to Cropsford with Remmy and Mallory, not gallivanting about Vvardenfell! And in secret too, the bugger. "What in Oblivion are you doing here? I thought you were going home!"

He bit his lip and shuffled toward her. "I was. Mal convinced me to go to Seyda Neen instead. We got a day head start on you. They're upstairs," he added meekly, finally looking at her. His eyes were big and terrified; he was using a puppy dog look on her.

Ooh, the fetcher knew he was in big trouble. And that stupid look wasn't going to work either. Feeling electricity prickle her palms, Lily marched toward him. "You lied to my face, Jake. You said you wouldn't help look for Baran! Ooh, that was _you _the census guard was talking about in Seyda Neen," she bit out in realization. "_You _had been there before us, asking the same questions! And the pillow woman! You talked to her too!"

Jake nodded timidly.

"And that Marxyn and Xedyn!" she cried, lost in her rage. Only Suna knew what she was talking about, and she seemed paralyzed by something. Maybe her orange hair did that to her. "It was Remmy they were talking about! Ooh, I could about kill you right now, Jacob!"

"Marxyn?" The purr was soft, but it was an undeniable interruption to the one-sided argument. "How does the tigress know the half-breed?"

Lily whirled around to see Sugar-Lips peering interestedly at her. "I saw her today in the Lucky Lockup," Lily snapped, harsher than she intended. "What does it matter?"

Sugar-Lips' eyes widened considerably. She lifted one paw and waved it toward Jake, standing awkwardly behind Lily. "The half-breed is the pup's kitten. Sugar-Lips was to tell him today."

Her blood froze. Very slowly, because her legs seemed to be suddenly locked to the floor, Lily turned and stared at Jake. She knew enough of Khajiiti terms to understand perfectly what Sugar-Lips had said.

Jake had paled until he was whiter than a ghost—and Lily had seen a couple in the undercroft of the Chapel of Akatosh, so she knew. His eyes were perfectly round, showing the whites all 'round the brown orbs. In fact, Lily doubted she had ever seen him more terrified.

Of course, that didn't take away from the fact that he had a _hidden daughter_.

"I—what?" he said breathlessly.

"Marxyn Athrys." A Dunmer man laughed coldly. "She does look a little like him. Same cheeks. Same height."

The indeterminate Argonian hissed. "We all knew she was not normal. Congratulations, Bercarius; your daughter is quite the accomplished magician for her age, just like her mother."

Jake, if at all possible, became so white, one could almost count the roadmap of veins beneath his skin. Lily understood exactly why—somebody had said something very similar when Mallory was still quite young.

"R-Ranis?" he stammered pitifully. "So it's true? Oh, _fuck_," he breathed, looking as though he was about to be sick. "I _knew _it."

"Jacob," Lily said warningly.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily. "This is why I don't drink flin anymore, Lil." His voice, normally so strong—and sometimes sneering—shook in devastation. "Oh, hell…"

Somebody laughed. "Drunken one-night stand?"

A disturbing grimace passed over his face. Someone else chortled. "You need to stop hanging out with mages, Jake," the voice laughed. "Got a tendency to knock 'em up."

At that remark, Lily's face instantly turned bright red. Before she could think it through and stop herself, she had conjured a dremora kynreeve to her side. The massive demon in Daedric armour stood impassively at her side, idly watching the men and women around them.

The laughter definitely shut up after that.

"Who are you?" she demanded coldly. "All of you."

"This is a branch of the Thieves Guild in Vvardenfell, Lil," Jake murmured, bowing his head. "The Fox promised me safe lodging while we were here."

Somebody hissed, "Anything for his puppy."

"Dad?" A little voice sounded from the stairs, and all eyes in the basement turned to see a little redheaded boy standing at the landing, with his sister protectively behind him. "What's going on? Mum? When'd you get here? Why's Suna's hair orange?"

"Remmy, come here," Lily managed to intone. Remmy hurried across the stone floor, with Mallory on his heels. They huddled at Lily's side, and the kynreeve drew a dagger, hunching protectively over her children.

"Mama, where's Marian and Sheo?" Mallory whispered.

"Kynreeve," Lily said, not taking her eyes off Jake's pitiful form.

The thing hissed. "Yes, Master?" it breathed in its gravelly Daedric voice.

"What is your name?" She had summoned it once before—she recognized it as the same one by the chip in one horn—to fight bandits away from Cropsford several years earlier. She liked it; it was a strong warrior. Despite having a bit of a prejudice against any of Mehrunes Dagon's Daedric minions, she might as well learn its name to conjure it again.

The kynreeve straightened proudly. "I am Vathuel, of Lord Dagon's mighty dremora army."

The thieves in the room shifted uncomfortably. Certainly Vathuel could be of use.

"Vathuel," Lily addressed, taking the time to glance in its direction. Its odd, Daedric eyes were on her, unblinking. "Take Remmy, Mallory, and Suna, and find Marian and Sheo, two Imperials in town. They should be over on the business side, perhaps in the Lucky Lockup inn. Make sure Remmy, Mallory and Suna are safely in their care."

The kynreeve dipped its head in a bow. "Yes, Master. What would you have me do after?"

"Return to me. Oh, one more thing," she added, as Remmy grabbed Suna and Mallory's hands and Vathuel stared expectantly at the three of them. The dremora looked toward her, nodding somewhat. "Can you disguise yourself somehow? I think seeing a dremora in the middle of town might scare a few people."

Its grey lips parted to expose short yellow teeth, all sharpened to points. "Of course, Master." It held out its gloved hands and the air around it shimmered somewhat. "To all but my conjurer, I shall appear as an Imperial. Is that all, Master?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, that's it, Vathuel. Come back as soon as you've made sure they're safely with Marian and Sheo."

Vathuel nodded and led the children past Jake, and up the stairs. Jake shivered as the dremora passed, no doubt concerned that the Daedric creature no longer resembled a Daedric creature—though Lily had no idea what it looked like, as she was its conjurer.

Once it was gone, the only other Breton in the room stroked his chin. "A kynreeve? My, Mrs Bercarius, you _are _powerful, for an untrained mage." There was no malice in his tone; he meant it as a true compliment.

"Thank you," she said stiffly. "Now, Jacob, explain to me exactly what's going on."

"Ah, the only other time I've been in Morrowind," he said slowly, once again staring at the floor, "I came here to Balmora for a bit. Met a mage in the guild named Ranis Athrys. Went to the Council Club and got way too drunk on flin. Stayed a few weeks longer, and Ranis told me she thought she was pregnant, the day I meant to leave." He swallowed and shut his eyes. "I always wondered if it was true. Apparently it is."

"By Dunmeri youth," a member of that particular race remarked, "you have a small child, Master Thief. Marxyn is very, very young by our standards, though she appears to be little older than your other daughter."

A flinch worked its way across Jake's features at that little remark.

"Does the pup desire to meet her?" Sugar-Lips asked.

Lily waited with bated breath to hear what his answer would be.

After several long, tense minutes, he gave the cat a hard look and said, "No. I have only one daughter, and she's half-Breton, not Dark Elf."

Sorry though she felt for Marxyn growing up and remaining fatherless—after all, she grew up motherless most of her life—Lily admitted to herself that she was relieved by his firm answer. Hardening her features so she didn't appear soft on Marxyn, Lily said, "She's a bitch anyway. She hates Imperials and wants to hurt her father if he ever shows his face here again." A pang of sorrow stabbed her heart at that; it wasn't fair to Marxyn, and Lily was behaving in a very un-priestess way. Martin would be disappointed. But Martin would also understand that Jake had helped raise Mallory and Remmy, and knew nothing about his elder daughter except who her mother was. It was a fair trade off, she thought.

To amend her harsh words, Lily added thoughtfully, "Maybe you should talk to her mother, though."

"Later." Jake waved a hand, apparently feeling forgiven. He sat down in a vacant chair, and Lily wandered up next to him. "If it helps, I'm sorry for abandoning you like that in Mournhold. I was just so angry Marian put herself above everyone else. What a bitch."

Insulted, Lily snapped, "Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about, buddy. Watch your words. I've got a kynreeve under my thumb."

Jake smiled slightly. "I noticed. Same one that helped defend home?"

"You bet. I know his name, too, so it'll be him from now on." An idea sprang into her head. "Hey, he can help us defend the kids. What have you learned about Baran?" she asked, reminded of why they were on Vvardenfell in the first place.

He sighed heavily and slumped back in his chair. "Just that he showed up here, then promptly vanished. The guys in Seyda Neen said the Elves with him wanted to get to Dagon Fel, but I can't think of what's up there that's so exciting. We need a map." Rubbing his forehead, he glanced around the room. The colour was slowly coming back to his face. "I came here not just because they'd give us protection. They're a good source of information, too. When I was here before, Sugar-Lips hadn't popped out her kid yet. Half these people didn't exist. Times've changed."

"Just curious," Lily began cautiously, and Jake glanced in her direction, "why do they keep calling you pup?"

Jake looked toward the two Habasi women, then back at Lily, and shrugged vaguely.

"Suna and I went to talk to the commander of the Balmora guard today," Lily said, exhaling heavily as the events of the morning caught up with her. "He said he only barely remembered Baran being in town, and he only noticed him because a High Elf he'd been talking to at the time mentioned the Champion of Cyrodiil being here."

"Which High Elf?"

"Varlais. County Cheydinhal and your mother are friends with him. Big Mages Guild guy."

Jake leaned over the arm of his chair. "Hey, Ajhardi!" he shouted, and the brown Khajiit loped their way.

"Yes, pup?"

"Ever heard of a High Elf named Varlais?"

She was silent for a long moment, whiskers twitching. Finally, she slowly nodded. "Yes, Ajhardi thinks she has. Mage. Very renowned. Polite, for a wizard of his litter."

That meant as a High Elf, Lily assumed. From what she remembered of her meeting with him—which was very little, sadly; though she remembered his strange brand of magic quite well—Lily did recall he was quite polite, which was rare amongst the haughty Altmer.

"He was in town a few months ago. Any idea where he went?"

Ajhardi murmured something and wandered off, presumably to ask around. While they waited for her return, Lily noticed her Daedric minion return, its task complete.

Vathuel halted before Lily and gave a little bow. "The scamps are with the woman, Master," it reported dutifully. Lily's mouth twisted at hearing her children referred to as scamps. Straightening, Vathuel continued, "The madwoman has not left the place of drink yet today."

Though slightly disappointed Marian hadn't done anything productive yet, Lily was still relieved. At least the children were safe with her. "Vathuel, let me ask you something."

"Anything, Master."

"How long are you under my command?"

"Until you dismiss me, or my soul is returned to the Deadlands, Master."

"And until then, you are obliged to do everything I say?"

"You summoned me, Master. I am under your control."

Grinning, Lily requested, "Could you ask around the shops at town and find a map of Morrowind, or even better, Vvardenfell?" She reached into her bag, slung over her shoulder, and dug out a few gold coins. She held out her hand, and Vathuel accepted them without question. "Come back once you're done."

Vathuel left immediately. Lily, still smiling, watched it ascend the stairs and asked, "What does it look like to you?"

"Like a tall Imperial bloke with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfect skin," Jake grumbled grumpily. "Dressed all nice and fancy, too."

Lily cast a glance around the room. Sure enough, several of the women who weren't of mer or beast persuasion were gawking after Vathuel, apparently having forgotten that it was a Daedric creature.

"Hm. Good choice. I bet we could pass it off as a brother to Marian or something."

"You plan on keeping it around?"

"I do. It could be extremely useful."

No news of Varlais' whereabouts turned up in the time Vathuel was gone. It returned within half an hour, bearing change and a long, rolled piece of parchment. Jake took it from the dremora's hands and unrolled it as Lily accepted the change.

"Dagon Fel is up here," Jake said, pointing up near the top of Vvardenfell. Lily grimaced upon looking at it. Balmora was at the southern coast. Dagon Fel was nearly across the large island entirely. "The only things around it are Dwemer ruins and… that's it, I guess."

"Maybe Varlais knows more," Lily said doubtfully. "We need to get up there, but if he's on the way, perfect."

"Why perfect?" Jake peered up at her in confusion.

"Well, he must know this country better than the rest of us. And he saw Baran the day he was in Balmora. He could have information we can use."

Ajhardi returned just as Jake was rolling up the map. "The gold one tigress seeks," she said, glancing between the three of them, "often haunts the roads of the island without destination or purpose. Always tirelessly working for his guild. Last spotted near Caldera. Sugar-Lips can have a scout sent forward to warn your arrival, and halt him if he remains in the area."

At the mention of Caldera, Vathuel let out a little snorting chuckle, to Lily's surprise. She, Jake, and Ajhardi gawked at it, and it immediately straightened its face. "One occupant of Caldera has an interesting past, Master," it said, by way of explanation for its actions.

Shaking her head, Lily thanked Ajhardi and Sugar-Lips Habasi, and the rest of the Thieves Guild members. After collecting the map and tucking it in her bag, she left the South Wall Corner Club with her meek husband and an imposing kynreeve—who appeared who be a beautiful Imperial—trailing along behind her.


	10. His Chosen

"Marian, this is Vathuel."

Marian's huge green eyes were wide and staring at the thing standing before her. "A Daedra?" she said slowly.

Vathuel bent at the waist. "An honour to serve a madwoman of the old Prince," it said formally. "I once had the privilege of engaging your master's aureal and mazken in battle, in an ancient war between the Planes. They are truly formidable creatures."

Lily, Jake, Remmy and Mallory—the normal folks in the room at the Lucky Lockup—all blinked in confusion. Marian, Suna and Sheo all looked impressed and flattered.

"Thank you, dremora," Marian replied distantly. "Lily summoned you?"

"She has. I am to assist in any way possible. It is my duty and honour to help find the missing Prince of the Isles."

Biting her lip, Marian's eyes danced with excitement. "Have you seen my lord Sheogorath since the Greymarch?"

"Jyggalag has spent a short time in the Deadlands, visiting my lord Dagon. He is pleased with the way your new Prince is running the Asylums."

Lily gave Jake a sidelong glance. "Is it…?"

"Still an Imperial," he confirmed.

Vathuel overheard and turned somewhat to face its master. "These three beings were born into the world of the Princes. Being born into a Plane, rather than your earthly realm of Tamriel, they see through my disguise, and see what I truly am. Rest assured, anyone born of Tamriel will not see me as anything more than an Imperial."

Lily nodded. "Oh, okay, good. Marian, we haven't learned much more about Baran except that he was spotted by a mage named Varlais. It's our only lead, and apparently he was seen around Caldera." Lily paused and glanced sharply at Vathuel, expecting another outburst. The dremora remained still and silent. "So we'll head there. If Varlais has any more information, we'll follow it. If not, we'll head straight for Dagon Fel and ask around there."

Marian swept her flyaway blonde hair away from her face. "That is wonderful, Lily. And now that we have a Daedric guardian, Sheo, Suna, Mallory and Remmy will be protected."

Vathuel cleared its throat. "Is this meant to be a reconnaissance mission to hunt for the Prince of Madness, Master?"

Flinching, Lily replied, "Yes, of a sort."

"There are eight of us, four of whom are children. How are we to go about this quest with high numbers of infants?"

"A guise," Suna said. Her hair was no longer orange; rather, it was green, and had been since Lily, Jake and Vathuel returned from the South Wall Corner Club. "We're all men, not mer or beast. The majority of us are related. What is Vathuel supposed to look like?"

"Big blonde Imperial," Jake recited broodingly.

Vathuel bared its teeth in what it likely thought was a smile.

It must have been a smile for those who saw the Imperial, for Mallory sighed almost dreamily.

"Okay. So we're a family," she said, gesturing to her family. "And you guys are. And Vathuel is, let's say, Mum's brother. And Lily's cousin? That makes us all related, and we can just say we're here for a family vacation and tourist thing if anyone questions us."

All eyes turned to Vathuel. "I will do as my master bids," it said.

"Okay, that works. Thanks for the idea, Suna. Kids," Lily said, resigned, "this is Uncle Vathuel."

Mallory couldn't repress an expression of disappointment at having to pretend to be related to the—supposedly—gorgeous Imperial. Remmy looked cautiously excited. Suna just appeared thoughtful, as her hair was green. Sheo, of course, latched onto the idea with gusto.

As Sheo grinned up at it, Vathuel arched its eyebrows and gave the little boy a long stare. "I remember you," it said. "You were at the gathering of Princes in Moonshadow three Tamrielic years ago. You were the one to give Lord Dagon those pastries."

Lily managed to keep her jaw from plummeting to the floor. So maybe it wasn't all talk. Maybe Sheo really did bake for the Princes.

"Vanilla iced cupcakes," Sheo confirmed with a toothy grin.

"Nocturnal tried to take the rest of them once you were gone," Vathuel said with a sneer that it probably thought was a smile. "Evidently she enjoyed her odd energy cake, but it kept her up all night, and she ended up stealing from Lord Dagon. He was not amused."

Sheo giggled, and Suna smiled lopsidedly. "It was coffee cake," she informed helpfully. "When's the next Daedric get-together?"

Marian shook her head. "It won't be for a while. Not after the ruckus Malacath started."

The little boy rolled his eyes dramatically. "Told you, he's not popular at parties."

"We're getting distracted." Mallory set her hands on her hips and flicked her long brown hair back. "We have to go. It's already Second Seed; Baran has been missing since the beginning of the year. We're wasting time."

Lily's brows arched. "It's Second Seed already? What day?"

Jake made a soft, strange noise. "The first."

She patted his shoulder. "Happy birthday. Welcome to forty-five."

"Thank the gods we're not in Kragenmoor," Suna muttered, turning and wandering from the room.

Lily felt her face flush. Mallory and Remmy shared a look, and Jake couldn't help but grin, despite his melancholy at turning forty-five.

Marian stared blankly, and Vathuel didn't change expression. "What happened in Kragenmoor?" the Manic asked distantly.

"Ah—nothing." Lily cleared her throat awkwardly. "What's the fastest way to get to Caldera? Is there a silt strider?"

"Not from Balmora," Jake denied. "If one of us was in the Mages Guild, I'm sure they'd love to use their guild guide to send us there."

"You don't have to be in the guild to use the guide," Mallory corrected. "We could ask. It really would cut back on time to get to Caldera."

"Perfect." Lily glanced at her companions. They really were such an odd sort: a family of Manics, her children and lying thief of a husband, and a dremora kynreeve. "Here's to hoping Varlais is still in Caldera."

—

"It's like being at home."

Lily glanced down at her son, who, upon emerging from the Mages Guild hall in Caldera, was staring at the Imperial buildings in awe. She peered around. "It really is, isn't it?" Feeling instantly comfortable with the city, she inhaled deeply and was disappointed to smell the dustiness of Vvardenfell rather than the rich greenness of Cyrodiil. "Well, close enough, at least." She glanced over her shoulder just as the rest of her companions filed from the guild hall. Mallory looked amazed as well; everyone else had seen it before, save perhaps Vathuel, but as a dremora, she doubted it really cared about Tamrielic places.

"Who are we supposed to ask about Varlais?" Suna asked. Her hair was once again blue; Lily resolved to ask her about the orange and green episodes once they had time. "The Thieves Guild was helping us, right?"

Jake nodded and smoothed an unruly lock of hair back over his head. "I'll look for guild contacts. You guys just ask about Varlais. He's a well-known guy. Where's Marian?"

Lily looked around. Sure enough, everyone was present and accounted for except Marian.

Suna suddenly perked up. "Oh, she's probably asking the mages about Varlais. The Archmage always hires him to write books on everything and anything. I'll go find her." With that, she slipped back into the guild hall.

Well, here they were, in a new and foreign town. Despite looking very Imperial, it was just as strange as the rest of Vvardenfell. A prickle of anxiety snuck up on her, and Lily turned to Vathuel, standing impassively behind her. Nobody seemed to notice the out of place presence of the dremora; his disguise had to be holding up well.

"Vathuel."

"Yes, Master?"

Even if nobody spotted the dremora for what it was, they were likely to notice a tall Imperial fellow referring to Lily as Master. Ignoring it for the time being, she said, "Anywhere we go, protect the children with your life." Stupid request, Lily; it was a Daedra. If it died here, it would just go back to Oblivion.

But Vathuel nodded stoically. "They will not come to any harm, Master."

"I'll be back soon." Jake vanished into a crowd of Imperials, and was quickly lost to Lily's sight.

Left with three children and a dremora, she faced them and said, "We need to ask about Varlais. Hopefully we'll find him soon. Mallory, come with me. Sheo, Remmy, you stay with Vathuel. _Do not _leave his side," she stressed, and both boys nodded obediently. "Vathuel, we're looking for an Altmer named Varlais. Taller than most, polite, with white-blonde hair. Writes books for the Mages Guild."

"Very well, Master. We shall find him." Vathuel glanced down at the boys on either side of it, both of whom looked stupidly excited to be alone with a dremora kynreeve. "Do not run off. I have very good aim."

"We won't," Remmy promised gleefully, and the three marched off through the crowd.

Left alone with her daughter, Lily put her hands on her hips and gave Caldera another once-over. Well, they had to start somewhere. Beckoning for Mallory to follow, she started walking toward a building that looked to be an inn. As a popular joint for people from all over the place to congregate and drink, taverns and inns seemed to be the ideal places to ask about.

Lily pushed open the door, and Mallory followed her inside, grumbling something about the smell of moon sugar as the door swung shut behind her. Indeed, the air was thick with grey smoke, and it reeked of the sugary scent of moon sugar. A sign hung above them: _Shenk's Shovel_.

A two Redguards, one young and one old, stood behind the counter across the room, helping the multitude of Imperial customers in the room. Several Argonians hunched in one corner, and two tiny Wood Elves squeaked to each other nearby. The majority of the room seemed an awful lot like home, with the sounds of charming Imperial voices floating over the smoke of moon sugar.

"Go talk to the owners," Lily told Mallory. "Keep on your guard."

"I know, Mama." Her daughter slipped between two Imperials, and Lily spotted her walking calmly up to the counter, where the younger of the Redguards immediately took notice of her.

Lily began to wander the room. Nobody was talking about a High Elf that she could hear, but she hadn't expected anyone to. Other than a few men and women who looked absolutely at home at the tables, leaning back like they owned the place, most of the patrons looked like tourists. They were chatting excitedly about Caldera and its surroundings, and other tourist places like Ald'ruhn, Balmora and Sadrith Mora—the district seats of the Great Houses, apparently.

Although the Imperial Legion armour in Morrowind differed greatly from that in Cyrodiil, she recognized the man sitting in the corner as a soldier immediately. It was hard to misplace the stern gaze and hardened features of a Legionnaire, even if they wore different armour.

Lily approached him warily, even though she was sure he was a Legionnaire. She kept Magicka bottled in her fingertips, just in case.

His dark eyes lifted from the book on his table as she approached. The deep lines in his face twitched as he smiled very slightly. "Good afternoon, ma'am," he greeted politely as she stopped before his table. "Can I help you with something?"

Lily waved to the seat opposite him, and he nodded. She sat, resting her arms on the table. "I'm Lily Bercarius. I was wondering if I could ask you a few things."

He seemed comfortable enough with the suggestion. Had it been a real, formal investigation, it wouldn't have been a random redheaded Breton dressed like a boy coming to ask questions. "Of course. I'm Iratian Albarnian of the Imperial Legion. What do you need to know?"

"I was just wondering if you had seen any High Elves come through town in the past few months." It was such a vague question; she hoped he could help. But, seeing his look of doubt, she added, "In particular, one named Varlais."

At the mention of the name, as Lily hoped, the uncertainty washed away immediately. "Varlais? Oh, sure. He was here just a few months ago. Only for a few days, though; just to stop in the guild hall and stock up on supplies before heading out into the wilderness again, as he always does."

"Do you have any idea where he could have gone afterward?"

"I'm afraid not. Your best bet would be to talk to the mages, ma'am. Just a suggestion."

"Thank you," Lily said graciously as she stood. She glanced to the side; Mallory seemed trapped by the young Redguard bartender's conversation. "It was actually very helpful. Thank you for your time."

"Not a problem. Anything to help a citizen of the Empire."

Lily smiled and slunk off through the crowd. At the counter, Mallory was still unable to get away from the Redguard's conversation.

As she approached, she heard him remark, "—and yet you're not part of the guild? Come on, that's not right."

"Uh, I can't afford it," Mallory protested weakly. "Really, I must be going."

"So soon?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Are you ever going to be back in Caldera?" he said hopefully.

Lily tried to get closer, but a crowd of tourists stopped her. She struggled past them and was about to help Mallory sneak away when she spotted a grey, horned head above the rest. She stopped several feet away, and within seconds, the Redguard's gaze moved from Mallory, to the person walking toward them.

"Can I help you?" the Redguard asked politely.

Mallory slouched, looking incredibly relieved to see Vathuel. Good to see the disguise was holding up as well, since the Redguard, and no one else in the bar, was screaming in fear at seeing a dremora.

Though Lily saw a hand with a red and blackened gauntlet resting on Mallory's shoulder, to everyone else, it must have appeared as a simple white hand.

"I am only searching for my niece," she heard Vathuel's gravelly dremora voice reply. "Mallory, we must go."

"Yeah, Mal," Remmy piped up. He scuttled into view and grabbed Mallory's hand. "Marian and Suna were talking to the mages in the guild hall. We might know more about Varlais."

Mallory took a step backward to stand by Vathuel. "Sorry. I have to go," she said with an apologetic smile to the Redguard.

He looked disappointed, but at a glare from Vathuel, he smiled warmly. "All right. Bye."

Lily pushed through the crowd and was at little Sheo's side in an instant. "Did you three find anything?" she asked once they registered her sudden appearance.

Remmy shook his bright orange head. "Nope. But Marian and Suna came back from the Mages Guild and said that they knew where Varlais was. So that's good, right?"

"Very good," Lily confirmed, ruffling his hair as he jogged up to her. "We'll get them, and find Dad, and we'll start out to find Varlais, okay?"

Remmy grinned, showing off his missing teeth. "Okay. Can we stay here a bit, though? I don't really like Vvardenfell much, and Caldera feels like home."

Lily smiled and patted his shoulder. For a twelve year old, he still clung to his childishness, but Lily knew it would fade soon. It would be just like when Mallory was twelve, and started maturing into a real woman.

Outside the bar, Lily instantly spotted Jake standing a head over everyone else. He was leaning against the wall of the building across the street, staring at the sky with his hands slouched in his pockets. She hid a little smile; he looked just as he did when she first fell in love with him, only without the grey hairs around his temples.

Jake's face moved as he caught sight of the posse returning. "Vathuel. Is everyone—" He paused when the rest of his family came into view, considerably shorter than the huge dremora. "Ah. There you are. Marian and Suna are just coming back."

Lily smiled as she wound over to his side and leaned against him. His clothes smelled of moon sugar. "Suna found Marian, then?" she asked, frowning as she leaned closer. She couldn't tell if he himself had been smoking it, or if he'd just been around people who had. She sincerely hoped it was the latter. Jake had an extremely addictive personality; one bottle of skooma would get him hooked in an instant.

"Oh, sure. She was playing with the fires in the guild hall." He stretched up and waved an arm. Within moments, Suna's blue head appeared through the crowd, and Marian's showed up soon after; Suna was grabbing her mother's wrist, dragging her toward the group.

"We found out where Varlais is," Suna said, letting go of Marian's wrist. The blonde wandered idly to the wall of the building to stand protectively beside her son. "Or rather, I did. Mum was way too busy trying to leap into fires to ask around. But hey, now we know."

"Where?" Mallory asked.

Suna gave a strange, semi-smile as she scrubbed a hand through her messy blue hair. "Does anybody know what Ghostgate is?"

Lily had never heard of it. And by judging the blank expressions on the faces of the others, they hadn't either.

"The towers of Dawn and Dusk," Vathuel voiced, "guard the entrance to Ghostfence, preventing unworthy from entering the Red Mountain, and the blighted from exiting."

Suna snapped her fingers and beamed. "Exactly. It's near here, and there's a main road to it, too. That was where he told the Mages Guild members he was going when he left. They said it's likely he'd've stuck around there for a while. There's apparently 'so much history, he wouldn't leave'." Suna rolled her eyes, heavily ringed in black. "Whatever. We just need to find him and find out if he knows anything about Dad."

Marian suddenly stiffened and made a noise. "Oh!" she breathed, her eyelids fluttering light-headedly. "Staada!"

Lily scowled and glanced at Jake. He looked equally confused, as did Mallory and Rem, but Sheo and Suna both broke into smiles, and even Vathuel's blackened lips twitched.

"What's Staada?" Lily asked curiously.

"Commander of aureals for the Prince of Madness," the dremora explained helpfully. "As the lady to the Prince, the duchess will have control of his armies."

Lily watched, interested, as Marian bowed her head and clasped her gloved hands before her. She whispered something in a strange tongue—Daedric, perhaps?—and exhaled long and slow. A moment later, the yawn of a summoned creature hummed around them, and the air shimmered before the bowed blonde locks. A tall, sleek woman plated and coated in gold suddenly stood before them.

She instantly bent to one knee. "What is it, Lady Marian?" Her voice was strangely pleasant, sweet and smooth like honey. But as she straightened from her bow, Lily felt a tingle of uneasiness; the golden Daedric eyes were cold and calculating, not at all matching the beautiful gilt exterior and intoxicating voice.

"I meant to ask the status of the Isles," Marian breathed. Her eyes seemed to stop focussing as she watched her servant. Her voice grew more distant and less sure than normal; the Mania was showing through her Tamrielic exterior.

Lily caught the gaze of a citizen of Caldera gawking at them, and she mentally slapped Marian. Really, did the woman have no sense? Did she _have _to summon a golden saint in the middle of a city?

"Dylora and I have been running Mania and Dementia as smoothly as we can, my lady," the honey voice replied. Lily was stunned; she was hypnotized by Staada's beauty—her skimpy golden scale mail and smooth, perfect bronze skin—and her perfect voice. But her expression was flat and uncaring; her eyes were cruel. They were similar to Vathuel's, as both were Daedric creatures, but even his weren't as icy.

Marian's lips tugged into a contented smile. "And Hirrus? Orinthal?"

The golden saint harrumphed. "Hirrus still lives, haunted by the souls in Dementia. Orinthal has been counting the days since you left. The people are all aware that the Prince is missing, my lady, but all are unconcerned at the moment. They all believe he will return. The prophets of the Sacellum Arden-Sul are keeping the Manic and Demented assured."

Marian looked as though she was lost in a reverie. Lily frowned, shaking away Staada's golden haze effect. She gave Marian a long, calculating look and decided that she was much more far gone than her children. Suna and Sheo just seemed… quirky. Marian seemed genuinely lost to the bliss of insanity. But then, she had always been. Lily just hadn't noticed how much until she compared the woman to her children, who had spent half their lives in Tamriel.

"Good." Marian smiled at her children. "Do you have any messages for Staada to bring home?"

As Sheo was blabbering to the golden saint about something he wanted her to relay to one of his friends, Lily jumped as she noticed something very odd happening to the perfect figure of the aureal. Her form was fading in and out of focus; shimmering as if being pulled from the earthly realm.

After Suna gave her short message, Staada said apologetically, "The Isles are calling me home, my lady. I cannot remain in Tamriel any longer."

"I understand." Marian nodded her head, and Staada gave another deep bow to the Asylum royalty.

Just before she vanished entirely, Sheo giggled, "You've been a good mouse, Staada."

The golden lips of the aureal twitched upward. "I shall raid the palace storerooms for cheese, little prince." With that, she faded with a slight pop.

"Master," Vathuel said, interrupting the short silence that followed Staada's departure, "laying eyes upon Staada again reminded me. Caldera has had an interesting past with the Daedric realm."

Lily eyed him with a frown, remembering how he had laughed in the South Wall Corner Club after they decided to travel to Caldera. "Why's that?"

"Though he is no longer here," he explained, waving an armoured arm around the town, "the pet of Clavicus Vile used to humour himself by taking the form of a bartering scamp in one of these manors. Barbas has a strange sense of humour."

Suna laughed and grinned up at the dremora. "I suppose it comes with being the henchman to a Daedric Prince."

"I suppose." Vathuel nodded stoically.

Jake suddenly and loudly clapped his hands together. "So! Are we going to Ghostgate or not? If we ever want to get the Shivering Isles their Prince back, we're wasting one hell of a lot of time standing around Caldera."

Vathuel led the procession out of Caldera. Remmy and Sheo were still clinging to his sides like leeches, asking him questions about the Deadlands and working for the Daedric Prince of Destruction. Suna trailed absently behind, her roots turning vibrant emerald. Marian was practically floating along behind her; but then, she had always been uncannily graceful, especially in her insane manner of speaking.

Lily started to follow, bringing up the rear of the pack, but she was stopped when Jake grabbed her wrist. She glanced down at his arm and saw that he had rolled up his sleeves to accommodate the slight warmth of the day; the rubbery, pinkish burns that encircled both wrists were perfectly visible, and as he bent to kiss her, she had a discreet peek at the same, albeit larger, burn that covered the front of his chest. Shutting her eyes and sighing, she stepped into the embrace and wrapped her arms around him. He proudly bore his scars of Oblivion—of attempts at suicide, of torture in the Imperial City's Bastion prison tower, of countless attacks—without a mite of regret.

At least, she thought as they hurried to catch up with the rest of them, she hoped he didn't regret all he had gone through to keep her at his side.

—

Too terrified to sleep, she had merely clung to Jake's side the entire night. Camping in the wilderness of Vvardenfell hadn't been her number one choice, but after consulting the map—and arguing ferociously with Suna about directions and settlements—she grumpily agreed that they had no choice but to set up a little campsite and get right down to it. Roughing it in the middle of nowhere on a volcanic island: the ideal family vacation.

Something growled loudly and _very _close by their campsite. In the dying light of the fire, Lily sat bolt upright and pulled her blanket around her. The night was warm enough, but an icy tingle fell down her spine. Fear, lack of fire and blankets, or the fact she only wore a shift? Maybe all three.

Solving the problem in two ways, she summoned fire to her fingertips. Instantly she was warmer and felt considerably more protected, but that didn't take away from the fact that there was something stalking their camp.

She bit her lip and tried to peer through the darkness. Nothing. Abandoning the destructive fire for a moment, she cast a night eye spell and peered through the crisp blue. She could see Marian and Sheo curled up beside each other across from the crumbled charcoal, with Suna nearby. Remmy and Mallory lie beside each other, both sprawled out in the same way Jake did sometimes. And the man himself was beside her, snoring softly in his slumber.

Relaxing, she settled more comfortably in her blanket. That was all accounted for, and she didn't see anything creeping through the darkness.

Wait, no—where was Vathuel?

The spell faded, and as soon as it did, she readied the fire at her fingertips once more. Her connection to Aetherius was extremely potent after so many years of studying; she could blast a fireball or a lightning storm in an instant.

Did she dare? Yes, yes she did. While there were four children present, she would. "Vathuel?" she whispered as loudly as she thought safe. The heat in her hands grew until it was almost too much. If she gathered much more energy, either she would combust, or the fireball she produced would scorch them all.

Nothing.

"Vathuel?" she tried again.

"Behind you, Master," his gravelly voice suddenly came.

Lily jumped and whirled around as fast as one can while cocooned in a blanket and sitting cross-legged and hunched in the dirt. Vathuel was crouched behind her, a jagged Daedric dagger drawn as his cat-eyes peered past her.

"What's wrong?" she hissed worriedly.

"I heard something, Master. I do not require much sleep while in the earthly realm; your protection, as my current conjurer, is my priority." He straightened slowly, so as to not make too much noise in his armour.

Lily licked her lips and squinted through the gloom. Her eyes were adjusting to the dark. "Did you find anything?"

"A lone, lost guar, Master." Humour laced the dremora's voice. "He has been sent in the direction of home. But other than that, I have not come across anything that could be a danger to the scamps."

Lily's eyes flicked over to the lumps that were the children. She was sure Suna could defend herself, and so could Mallory, until her energy and meagre supply of Magicka was depleted, but Sheo and Remmy had only the adults and the kynreeve to rely on. And Jake was practically useless. He was a good killer, but not exactly a wonderful fighter.

"I heard a growl," she whispered, glancing up at her kynreeve. He was absently running a hand over his chipped horn as he stared into the darkness of the mountains.

Vathuel looked down at her. "Did you, Master? When?"

"Just before I found you. Maybe it was—"

His eyes suddenly bugged and he shouted, "Master, cover yourself!"

Lily gasped and instantly hunched down just in time to feel the hair-raising crackle of electricity shoot over her head. The air popped and hissed, reeking of ozone. She lifted her head just in time to see Vathuel leap past her, heavy Daedric longsword drawn. Across the road was a Dunmer, at least from what he could see—with two of his kind standing nearby.

There were more. There had to be.

In a hurry, Lily shook Jake's arm. He was awake in an instant, accustomed to years of sleeping light—it came with being a thief. "Protect the children," she said, and his Blade of Woe was in his hand a moment later. Vathuel had slain the Dunmer mage; the two who had been with him were screaming as they lunged at the attacking kynreeve.

Lily crawled on hands and knees to the kids and shook them awake. "Mallory, Remmy, Sheo, stay with Jake and Suna. Mal, if you can…" Lily trailed off.

Her daughter's pale oval face bobbed in the darkness. "I'll help for as long as I can bear, Mama," she whispered, panicked.

Suna was awake, startled and sleepy, but already drawing out her axe. Marian was on her feet, digging through her things for her Demented bow and arrows. Deciding they would be safe enough with Suna, Marian, Mallory and Jake defending them, Lily jumped to her feet and leaped onto the road to help Vathuel—not like he needed it.

He had already dispatched of the other two mages and was stalking up the road after a fourth, previously unseen attacker. Lily cast a longer, stronger night eye spell and looked around, seeing clearly in the dark.

Another Dark Elf man was coming up the road, crouched and trying to sneak.

"No!" she shouted, and ran toward him, bringing iciness to her hands. Skidding to a halt, she brought back her arms and shoved them forward, sending a huge blast of frost his way. He screamed and toppled back, ice and water coating his body and briefly paralyzing him. Not wasting a moment, Lily jumped forward and sent a short, strong burst of electricity his way. His shrieks filled the air as the humidity on his body instantly took the lightning.

She was in tune with Aetherius; Magicka pulsed in her hands and through her body, ready to be used to defend her family.

Behind her, she could hear Vathuel growling and snarling in Daedric as he slaughtered the Dunmeri creeping in down from the very mountains they had been walking into during the day. That was an uncomfortable thought.

The air was thick with the scent of burned flesh. The Dunmer sprawled morbidly before her was dead. Electrocuted and gone. And another was running toward her, bellowing as he brandished a spear.

Her hair flew over her face as she shot a huge fireball toward him. He dodged the worst of it, his shriek interrupted by a gasp of fear, but he didn't escape entirely. His sleeve caught as the fire exploded on the hill behind him, and instantly his shirt was engulfed in flames, as was the dry grass on the hillside. The world was suddenly alight in blazing orange and red, and Lily no longer needed the night eye.

Distracted as she was by the huge flames hungrily devouring the dry shrubbery that grew on the arid mountain soil, she didn't notice as the Dunmer she was engaged with magically doused his shirt and ran toward her. Lily gasped, wide-eyed, as he knocked her to the ground with the staff of his spear.

She tried to roll away, grunting, but he trapped her arms and torso with his weight. "You can't run now, woman!" he cackled madly into her ear. "We are His Chosen! We will have our way!"

Growling savagely, Lily concentrated all her energy to her torso. The silver beam trapping her to the rough, rocky dirt road suddenly turned superheated orange, and the Dunmer shrieked in pain. He jumped back, and his spear clattered to the ground. Lily clambered to her feet and sent another fireball his way. This one caught him square in the chest, and he collapsed in a screaming, scorching heap.

Panting, Lily turned back toward the camp. Marian was swiftly sending arrows into any Dunmeri who dared come close to her family, and any who passed by her wildly accurate shots was swiftly alight in Mallory's fires and cut down by Suna's axe. The three worked in harmony, easily taking down any who tried to stop them. Jake and the boys were encircled by them, and Lily's heart broke; she knew they were terrified. Sheo and Remmy were so young.

With a snarl that sounded like, "For Lord Dagon!" the last of the Dunmeri attackers was brought to a bloody end by Vathuel's deadly blade. Once sure the area was clear of assailants, the kynreeve marched back, wiping the dripping blood from his sword on the shirts of his fallen foes.

"What happened?" Jake demanded, pushing past his protective barrier of daughter and Manics to jog up to Lily and Vathuel. "Who were they?"

Behind him, Mallory collapsed to the dirt in exhaustion. Swaying wearily, Suna sat beside her with only slightly more grace. Marian only looked shocked and concerned. Sheo and Remmy were clinging to her bare legs, crying and staring, waiting for answers.

Panting with the effort of the battle, Lily glanced at Vathuel. He was bloodstained and breathing heavily, but otherwise in good shape. "I don't know," she said surely. "Were they all Dunmeri?"

"All Dunmeri males," Vathuel reported, nodding and sheathing his blade with a metallic shriek. "And all were from Vvardenfell, judging from accents alone."

Jake's wide eyes roved back and forth between his wife and the dremora. "Accents? You heard them speak?"

Vathuel and Lily both nodded, which forced a small noise of surprise from Suna. Vathuel kicked a corpse out of his way and moved closer to the camp. "I could not discern what they said. I did not care."

All eyes moved to Lily, and she sighed heavily as she wiped her dirty hands on her equally dirty shift. Behind her, she could tell from the waning heat and dying sounds that the fire she had accidentally started on the hillside was extinguishing slowly on its own accord.

"I heard what he said," she admitted, and a collective gasp seemed to rise up from the camp.

"What was it?" Mallory asked weakly. She was sprawled beside Suna, leaning on the crimson-haired girl for support.

Lily swallowed a heavy lump in her throat. "He said that they were 'His Chosen.' I don't know what it means or what it could mean."

Suna shook her head as she helped ease Mallory into a better sitting position. "It's not Morrowind lore. I've never heard of it before."

Ever the scholar, Mallory shook her head. "I haven't either."

Marian calmly collected her arrows after dislodging the boys from her legs. As she pulled them from her victims with a sickening, wet noise, she added, "It is not of the Isles. I would have recognized it immediately."

"Nor is it from the Deadlands," Vathuel said.

Suna pointed to the road. "They came from the direction of Ghostgate. We need to move."

"But what about—" Sheo started to whine, but he shut up at a sharp look from his sister.

Silently, they packed up the camp and continued up the road through the mountains in the dark of night, with only a sphere of light conjured by Lily to guide their way.


	11. Atronach

He could feel the pulse of strong Magicka a mile away. Company would be nice, especially the company of a fellow mage. He shuffled uncomfortably in his egg-like prison. It would be embarrassing to admit he managed to get himself trapped in his own magic, but he wouldn't mind as long as he was freed promptly.

Several curious critters sniffed at the dome of magic surrounding him before scuttling off into the growing dawn. At least he was protected from anything dangerous coming after him again.

But, oh, it was _so _humiliating…

He exhaled slowly and smoothed out his rich red mage's robes. He would look presentable for whatever strong magician was heading his way. He would not look like a beggar. He was _not _a beggar. Clearing his throat and reaching up to retie the ponytail he kept his long, fine blonde hair tied in, he hoped whoever was approaching could help. He didn't like being trapped in his own brand of magic.

"Oh, you are a fool," he murmured to himself. He picked up his fallen shortsword and sheathed it in the scabbard at his hip, belted around his narrow waist. The smooth white staff was already on his back; he hadn't the time to even grab it before the villains were upon him, chortling as he hid in his egg cocoon.

The mages at the guild hall had told him to practice the spell he had created before actually using it. He had been so naïve. Or perhaps, he mused, running a long-fingered hand over his smooth chin, it had been his natural Altmer haughtiness poring through.

He hoped not. He disliked being treated as though he thought he was grand and mighty just because of his ancestry.

He thought it was because mere underlings had been telling him what to do. He was a Master-Wizard, damn it to Oblivion! He answered only to the Archmage! He had a seat on the Council of Mages; he was a close confidante of the chancellor of the Empire!

Harrumphing, he poked at his egg-shaped shield. The tangible magic pushed his finger away. He couldn't even walk through it.

Crumbling Empire, but Empire all the same. Children couldn't tell him what to do.

He sighed heavily and pressed all his weight onto the shimmering, oily magic surrounding him. The malleable shape gave somewhat, but the strength was too much. He couldn't go through.

Alas, to his people, he was a mere child. Living two centuries wasn't enough to make one wise to the unexpected properties of magic. He should have listened.

Frowning, he set both hands on the translucent wall separating him from the rest of the world. The magic felt heavy and slightly oily, just as its appearance showed. What in Aetherius had he created?

The comforting pull of Magicka grew stronger. Whatever was approaching, it was much nearer now.

"Ahoy, mage!" he shouted as loudly as he could. His voice sounded perfectly, but he knew the walls would only let some sound through. That was one of the many faults—as well as lacking a counter-spell he could work inside the bubble, it was partially sound-proofed and impenetrable. The last had been the intention, but he hadn't meant to get _trapped _in it.

Muffled noises reached him through the shimmering chrysalis, and he perked up. Salvation?

Figures rounded the bend in the road ahead of him. He grinned, unable to help himself, as he spotted a fairly large group of travellers. Too excited to be free to question it—after all, why would such a large pack of people be headed up to _Ghostgate?_—he waved and was sure they would see his bubble.

Sure enough, the distorted figures stopped. If he concentrated enough, he could almost see them. At least, he could discern colours. The leader was tall and blonde, and there was another blonde, a littler feminine shape. Someone with long, wavy bright orange hair; another girlish figure with brown locks. Another tiny redhead, a small thing with an indeterminate blonde-brown hair colour, and a tall brunette. Finally, near the first redhead, a boy shape with… blue hair?

He scowled. Surely he was seeing things.

After a moment of curious hesitation, the flock approached, led this time by the long-haired redhead. The comforting pulses of Magicka beat loud and clear from this person. This was the mage he was hoping for.

Though the others remained a few feet away from his prison, the redhead came right up close. He gawked, amazed, as she—this close, he could see the blue of eyes and the feminine figure—pressed her hand forcefully at the field. On his side, a hand-shape gave but didn't go through. He was trapped still.

"Who are you?" he asked as loudly as he could.

She frowned. That much he could tell. A muffled, "Wha?" issued into his bubble.

Flinching, he tried again. "Who are you?"

Realization is clear, no matter the obstruction. "Lee Bercrus!" he heard. It sounded as though she was mumbling into a pillow. Damn that his spell was _too _effective.

Knowing she full well expected him to return the favour, he shouted, "I'm Master-Wizard Varlais!"

She stared into the bubble for a long moment before turning back to her companions and yelling something at them. He waited patiently for her to return her attention to him. When she did, she called, "How dwe goo out?"

Varlais sighed, trying to keep his patience about him. He didn't normally lose his temper, but being trapped in this infernal bubble was just frustrating. Shrugging to show he didn't quite know the counter-spell, he said, "Try something!"

She seemed to understand. She set her hands on the bubble once more and the whole thing shimmered and flickered as she cast a spell. He had no idea which spell it was, but it did something. She abruptly pulled her hands away, looking disgusted. He wondered why.

Reluctantly touching her palms to the egg once more, she cast something different. His entire world seemed to glow purple for a moment, but still, he remained locked in his cell.

This continued for several minutes. He wasn't sure what she was trying, but each time the egg seemed to swell and shrink, or glow or nearly fade away, only to come back just as strong as before.

It must have thinned; he could almost clearly see the look of pure determination set on her pale, freckled face. Hoping whatever she was about to try would work, he smiled, ready to be free. It had been hours since his blundered attack.

The prison suddenly turned up several degrees, and he watched in awe as tiny blue flames seemed to dance over the outside of the bubble. The woman jumped back, alarmed, and he realized why—and why she had been so disgusted by touching the thing—as the spell turned suddenly tangible and bucketfuls of oily liquid splashed down upon him. Dripping with thick, unpleasant liquid, he realized she had melted the damn thing.

—

Lily couldn't help but stare at him. She knew he was uncomfortable with all the attention, but after their bizarre meeting, she couldn't help it. His hair was flat with the thick, disgusting oil his shield spell had turned into upon coming into contact with her spells—and finally the destruction spell—and it soaked through his fine robes.

He looked a sore sight compared to her one and only memory of him. But then, he had been in the company of a count, regal and mage-like in the throne room of County Cheydinhal.

He exhaled heavily as he used a borrowed rag to wipe off his long, sleek white staff. His luminous brown eyes turned up toward her, and a pleasant expression flitted across his face. "Your name has changed since we first met," he murmured, smiling slightly.

Lily smiled, glad he had remembered. She had been so honoured to have met him, as he was a high-ranking member of the Mages Guild. She was still honoured to be in his presence, even if he was covered in Magicka-made-tangible.

"I've gotten married since then," she replied, glancing over at her companions. They were milling about nearby, setting up a camp despite the early morning light. Nobody had much sleep during the night, and the children were starting to whine.

Varlais' eyes moved toward the figure of Jake, already passed out on the patch of grass beside the road. "To Lady Flaccus' son, I see." He inhaled suddenly, and she looked back at him. Realization was crossing his long, slender Altmer face. "Right. It was the engagement party in which the Dark Brotherhood attacked her home, was it not?"

Lily nodded slowly, remembering the night. It was the last time they had seen Dar'vaba, Jake's shadow for three years. Jake had killed him. It haunted him still. "It was. If I may ask…"

He laughed very softly. She remembered that about him: his voice, unlike most High Elves, was fine and cultured, soft and quiet, and perfectly polite. "How did I come to be trapped in my own magic?"

Lily suppressed a smile and nodded.

Varlais leaned against a rock and tucked his feet under him. Setting his staff aside, he unbuckled a sword from around his waist and began to clean it off as well. "It is a spell I crafted on my own accord. It was meant to keep me perfectly safe from any attack. It did that well, but there were a few things I hadn't counted on—such as the oiliness, the sound-proofing, and the inability to counter it."

Lily folded her hands demurely in her lap. "At least you know now. Fire."

His fine, almost white brows arched upwards. "Fire that apparently burns blue on that particular brand of magic. I am very grateful you happened along. I would have been trapped for the gods know how long if you hadn't come upon me." He frowned very slightly and unsheathed the sword to dab way the oil. "Why were you all so near Ghostgate, anyhow? People rarely travel up here anymore. The blight is too common, and the Almsivi is dead."

Lily dug in her bag and offered him a clean rag. He accepted it gingerly, and she took the soiled one away to clean later. "Well," she began, "we were looking for you."

His big brown eyes tilted up to her. They were slightly slanted, as many Elves' were. "Me? Why? Nobody ever looks for me." He sounded extremely surprised, and no wonder. He worked for the Mages Guild as a writer and scholar, making books about magical properties of plants and creatures and ingredients all over Tamriel. That was a very solitary career.

Since he seemed abnormally knowledgeable—not many knew the Dark Brotherhood had been behind the attack on Ida Flaccus' home—Lily came out and asked, "Do you know what the Greymarch is?"

Varlais stared at her for a long time before nodding. "It happens at the end of an era. So it occurred once more in Lord Sheogorath's Madhouse after the Oblivion Crisis?"

Lily nodded, glad he knew. "It did. Four of my friends are from the Isles. Tell me—the commander of the guards in Balmora said he'd spoken to you when you passed through this year, and you mentioned you saw the Champion of Cyrodiil."

Varlais' eyes widened. "You did your research. This is true. I spoke briefly with him while in Balmora."

"Did you notice anything odd about him?" she quizzed. From she remembered, Baran's insanity had been discreet.

But to her delight, the Elf nodded slowly. "He was rather bizarre, come to think of it. He mentioned that I was far too healthy compared to everyone else he's met."

Lily smiled distractedly. "That's because he thinks he can see ailments. He's Sheogorath's champion, and the new Prince of Madness."

Varlais stared at her in silence for a long while. Finally he nodded and said, "I believe you. Is your blue-haired companion, the little boy and the woman…?"

"His children and wife," she admitted, smiling more fully as she glanced over at the little family. "They live in Mournhold. He goes between Tamriel and the Isles. But somebody found out what he was, though he keeps it secret. He's been missing since the beginning of the year."

Varlais set his sword down and neatly folded the rag. "I saw him after the beginning of the year."

Lily tucked her hair behind her ear and watched his long fingers deftly flick the rag into a perfect square. The juices of ingredients stained his golden fingertips. "I know. That's why we searched you out. You're in the only lead we have. Everyone we've asked knows nothing about where he could have gone. You're the only one who's spoken to him that we know of."

He splayed his hands over the rag and stared at her. "You travelled all the way from Balmora to ask me if I knew where he had gone."

Lily felt her face heat up. "Yep. But like I said, you're the only lead we have. Nobody else has been any help. And to be fair," she added tiredly, "we are on our way to Dagon Fel anyways."

"He mentioned Dagon Fel." Varlais climbed wearily to his feet, and she peered up at the tower of Altmer above her. He was taller than most of his countrymen. "I'm afraid I don't remember why, though. Let's see." Varlais untied his hair, and she gawked. The blonde, nearly white strands fell straight to his shoulders, long and silky like a girl's. "He said I was too healthy, and that the men he travelled with were sick with some strange illness. He showed me his companions; they were a handful of Dunmeri fellows, distracted by something nearby us. He said he had snuck away to talk to someone else for a change. It seemed as though…" He frowned and rubbed his chin. "As though they were keeping him prisoner. And he said that they were heading for Dagon Fel, and… and it had to do with something he had done… and he didn't know what it was. Or I don't remember what it was. After all, Dagon Fel is not a tourist destination. It's small and full of Nords."

"Do you know what's near Dagon Fel?" she asked. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out her map, and after retying his hair, he sat back down beside her. "We could only see these markers." She pointed to the area Dagon Fel was located at.

Varlais tapped one finger against a nearby drawing of an island on Azura's Coast. "That is a Daedric shrine. I wrote about them all once. It's called Ald Daedroth. Other than Dwemer ruins, it's the only thing of interest anywhere near Dagon Fel." His finger ran along the page until he stopped. "That's a Dwemer ruin. Closest to Dagon Fel, but I can't for the life of me remember the name."

Lily frowned and looked where he was pointing. "Are any of these places—"

"A good place to take someone?" he finished for her. "Definitely. I'm not sure what his Dunmeri kidnappers want with him, especially if it's related to whomever found out he's a Prince, but if it's anything they wouldn't want the public to see, it would be in a remote ruin in a remote part of Vvardenfell. Dagon Fel and surrounding islands are just that."

She sighed and rolled up the map. "Oh. Wonderful. Is Dagon Fel far from here?"

"I'm afraid so. Vvardenfell is huge." He pulled his hair up to the high back of his head and tied it up once more. Though still oily, he looked better.

Reminded of what he said about the bubble he had encased himself in—protection was its main goal—she asked curiously, "Why did you cast that spell around yourself?"

Varlais brushed his hands down the front of his robes, grimacing as his fingers came back oily. "Oh, well, a large group of men came down from Ghostgate and attempted to ambush me. I decided it would be prudent to try my new spell. It worked too well."

Lily jumped and glanced back at her companions. The children were all asleep next to Jake, and Marian was nodding off; Vathuel was the only one still wide awake. "You were attacked? Were they all Dunmeri men?"

He looked surprised. "Why yes."

Lily shifted, uncomfortable on the hard packed dirt of the ash-ridden mountains. "They went further down the road and found us," she admitted, feeling him perk up beside her. "They attacked our camp. If it wasn't for Vathuel hearing them coming…"

"Vathuel?" Varlais' voice was full of surprise. "Is that the blonde Imperial with you?"

She smiled, looking at the camp to see a dremora kynreeve in Daedric armour sitting sagely next to her family. "Yes."

He gave a little noise, and she glanced toward him, confused. He looked distraught. "Vathuel sounds Daedric. A strange vibe of Magicka comes from him, but… is he a mage?"

Lily shook her head, and Varlais' frown deepened.

"His parents must have had a disgusting sense of humour to name him something so barbaric."

"Do dremora even have parents?" she wondered absently. She always expected them to just have been, well, conjured, as that was how she came upon them. Surely female dremora existed as well.

Varlais sputtered and jumped to his feet. "He's a dremora? Goodness, you should have told me immediately! That incessant nag on my Magicka was frustrating!"

"Sorry." She blushed and then frowned. "Wait—you can feel him being something magical?"

Varlais nodded and slowly lowered himself back to the ground. "I am born under the Atronach. My connection to Aetherius is extremely sensitive because of this, so I can feel when others are mages or some magical being, but my Magicka still saps my energy and the reach into Aetherius doesn't last forever."

Lily suddenly beamed. "You're an Atronach? My daughter is too. She struggles with it. Could you… help her, perhaps?"

"Certainly." He tilted his head in a short nod. "You seem to be a powerful mage. Would you do me a favour?"

"What favour?"

"Using my spell stole the remainder of my energy and I can't find it in me to replenish it. One of the downfalls of being born under the Atronach. If you would cast a spell at me, I would be once more reconnected to our magical plane."

Lily's brow furrowed. "You want me to… attack you."

"Not specifically. Others have used destructive magic on me, yes, but I don't particularly like being caught on fire, frozen for several moments, or electrocuted for the delight of underlings. Wiser wizards use other spells. My particular favourite is rally. It's very energizing. Gets me all pumped up," he added with a slow wink, sounding like the teenager he likely was—in Altmer years, at least.

"I've never thought of that before. Mallory always sleeps and has Suna mix potions for her." Lily shuffled around so she was facing him. To make the spell more potent, she rested her hands on his knees, the closest thing to her. Varlais waited patiently, a tiny smile on his regal face. She cast the spell, hoping it was strong enough to energize him.

As the magic moved through her hands and into him, a sleepy expression came on his face and he sighed heavily. "Thank you. That's much better."

"Master."

Lily glanced over her shoulder to see Vathuel standing nearby, waiting patiently for her to be finished with Varlais. "What is it?" she asked. "Oh, and you can drop the illusion while we're not in towns."

"Thank you, Master." The air shimmered around him, and though nothing changed to Lily's eyes, Varlais gave a little grunt at seeing Vathuel's true form. "Remmy wants you with him, Master. He's having…" A frown formed on the grey face. "Bad dreams, I believe he said, about the men who assaulted us earlier."

"Thanks, Vathuel. I'll be right there." Lily stood, though Varlais remained as he was. "Sorry for cutting it off short. Kids do that."

"Do they ever." Varlais smiled lightly. "When you all wake, we must talk more about this attack."

She nodded. "We will." With that, she turned and went to her son's side.

—

"Never."

Lily gawked up at him. Varlais was hopping agilely through the mountain paths like he belonged there. Everyone else scrabbled along behind him, panting and exhausted so early into the day. "Never?" she repeated, dumbfounded.

"Never. And I know very nearly all the lore of Tamriel and the Planes," he admitted. There was no bragging in his voice. It was a mere fact. He was likely the Mages Guild's most powerful and knowledgeable scholar. He glanced down at them, and Lily caught sight of the frown on his golden face. "His Chosen? I've never heard of it. It could be a secretive sect."

"Extremely secretive," Suna piped up, scrabbling up beside him. She and Mallory had been especially fascinated with the High Elf upon meeting him after their short sleep. Both had read the majority of his work, and both acted like silly little girls around him. Now that Vathuel's disguise was gone, their interest moved.

Varlais wasn't oblivious to their silly antics, but he didn't encourage them either. He was merely polite as ever. "Indeed. And the 'he' in this equation could be anybody, save, perhaps, Lord Dagon." He inclined his head to Vathuel. "Or his kynreeves would know."

"He already tried to take over Tamriel once," Lily grunted, hopping up the steepening slope. "He's not going to try again soon."

Varlais waited for everyone to catch up. "You sound bitter."

"He killed my best friend. I'm bitter as hell."

Jake came up beside her and nudged her. "Let it go, Lil. It was a long time ago."

Varlais made a soft sound. "And yet you summoned one of his officers? Why not an aureal, mazken, winged twilight?"

Lily felt her face flush. "I didn't know I could. I've only ever summoned dremora before."

The Master-Wizard nodded and continued up the rocky path. His sandals never slipped on the loose stones. "That's fair. Anyhow, it is unlikely Lord Dagon. Sheogorath is no more, from what I understand, yet it seems unlikely that your Baran faked his own kidnapping to create a clandestine coven of Dunmeri worshippers. Jyggalag, while related, wouldn't care about this island lacking order."

"_I _don't think any of the Princes were involved," Mallory panted, jogging up past Lily to come up beside Suna. The girls were in the lead, trailing behind Varlais with a fierce determination. "This isn't how they work. They have large scale, violent confrontations, like the Daedric Invasion and the Greymarch. This is different. This is small."

Sheo peeped as his little feet slipped on the loose, crumbling rocks. He gasped and slid a bit, but was quickly caught up by Vathuel. Dangling the boy under one arm, the dremora marched up to Marian and said, "He is unused to such a rough terrain."

Marian smiled distantly at the kynreeve. "Thank you, Vathuel. Sheo, silly boy." Clutching her son's hand, she continued to hobble up the hill just behind Lily.

Smiling at her own son, Lily chuckled softly at his little freckled face, pressed against Jake's back. Remmy had promptly fallen asleep again after they started walking, so Jake had tossed him onto his back and was carrying him. Lily had been worried at first that Jake wouldn't be able to keep his balance, or that Remmy would get too heavy, but it was already past noon, and he was still going strong.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation ahead of her; Suna and Mallory were prattling away about something magical to Varlais, and he was humouring them with polite answers.

Jake smiled, but there was sweat beading his forehead. "I'm fine. He feels like he's been stirring, so he can walk soon. Hopefully."

Lily lightly set an arm on his arm and cast a quick strength-boosting spell. Jake nearly tripped in his surprise at having a spell cast on him, but he recovered moments later.

Smiling, Lily reached up and ruffled Remmy's soft mop of orange waves. "He's beautiful," she murmured absently.

Jake grunted as he adjusted the weight of the bundle on his back. "Just like his mama. We spawned a couple of good kids, Lil."

"We sure did." She could forgive that Marxyn Athrys was his daughter; after all, he hadn't known. "Did I tell you, Jake?" she asked as she watched Mallory and Suna bombard Varlais with questions. "Varlais is born under the Atronach. He can show Mallory how to efficiently use her stunted connection to Aetherius." Lily grinned, excited that her daughter would finally receive proper tutelage. Akatosh knew Lily had done her best to show Mallory the ropes, but Mal was an Atronach whereas Lily was the Mage, and Lily had learned only a little from a real mage—Martin—and had mostly taught herself through trial and infinite error.

"Really?" Though he hated magic—and only bore a grudging respect for the college of illusion because of his own birthsign—Jake didn't understand exactly what this meant to Lily, but she knew he would be happy for them. After all, it was Lily and Mallory who defended Cropsford from bandits, solves, and the occasional goblin tribe.

"Yes. Finally, I can feel like I've actually helped her with her magic."

Jake gave her a sidelong glance. "Finally? C'mon, Lil; you're the greatest teacher any mage could want. So what that you aren't born under the same sign as her. What budding mage wouldn't want to say that their teacher is Emperor Martin's friend, or the buddy of the Champion of Cyrodiil? A woman who helped stop Mehrunes Dagon? Stop putting yourself down. It's not like you've failed Mallory. Hell, if I could use magic at all, I'd want you teaching me."

Lily smiled and slipped her arm around his waist. "Thanks, Jake."

He winked and adjusted Remmy's legs. Gesturing with his forehead, he said, "Pay attention."

She looked ahead at the others in their party, and grinned when she noticed Mallory hopping around Varlais, her face bright red with excitement.

"Can you really?" she asked breathlessly. Their hike had slowed, and everyone was watching the two with a mixture of awe or confusion. "I mean, I've heard of it, but I didn't think it was possible."

Suna snorted. "Everyone does it. It's just banned in Cyrodiil. Stuffy mages over there."

The evil look Mallory shot the blue-haired girl's way was short. A split second later, she was beaming up at Varlais again. The Elf looked flustered with all the attention he was being given. "Can you show me? Please?"

He coughed delicately and looked around. Lily's eyes met his, however briefly, and she nodded, silently encouraging whatever magical endeavour he was going to show. "Well, all right. We shouldn't really stop if we're on such a tight schedule to reach Dagon Fel, but…"

"Please?" Mallory had called up the puppy eyes Jake had so often tried on Lily in their youth. Damn that their daughter had earned the exact same adorable stare.

Varlais looked at her and seemed to melt. So even haughty Altmer weren't immune to the charms of Imperials. "All right. Quickly, though." He backed away from her, holding his hands in a peculiar magical stance. Lily frowned and cocked her head to the side, curious as to what he was doing. A blast of colour came from his hands, and he took another step backward.

Onto nothing.

Lily gasped despite herself, and Mallory made a choked noise of disbelief. Suna and her family looked infinitely bored—as if they had seen this all before, and perhaps they had—though Vathuel was watching with a slight frown beneath his horns.

After a moment for recovery, Mallory squeaked and clapped her hands together as Varlais continued stepping onto thin air. "Oh, wow! It's true! That's amazing! Can you teach me how?"

Varlais' eyes met Lily's again. "I don't know. That wouldn't be my decision. You would have to ask your mother and father. After all, what Miss Suna said is true. Levitation is illegal in Cyrodiil, and most of the Empire for that matter. It is a dangerous practice outside Morrowind."

"Mama? Please?" Mallory tried to use the same puppy dog eyes on Lily, so she pointedly looked away.

"Not now, Mallory," Jake said for her, snickering as Lily stared up at the sky. "Illegal is bad, remember?"

"Oh, come on, Papa. You and Remmy—"

"Ah," he coughed loudly, and Remmy startled awake with a grumpy noise. "I said no, Mallory."

She crossed her arms, but her pout didn't last long. Her dark eyes followed Varlais as he wandered weightlessly further up, his feet touching nothing. "That's incredible. I wish that was allowed in Cyrodiil."

"Tough luck, baby," Lily said, ruffling Mallory's long brown hair as she passed her awestruck daughter. "To make up for it, I'll teach you that invisibility spell you always begged for, all right?"

Mallory beamed and scrambled up the hill. "Okay!"

A little snuffle rose up behind her, and Lily glanced back to see a sleepy Remmy being set on the ground by Jake. He glowered ferociously at his mother and sister as he rubbed his eyes and began slumping after them. "That's no fair, Mum," he whined, pushing his messy red hair out of his face.

"What isn't?"

"You'll teach _Mallory _how to become invisible, but you won't teach me? Did you teach Dad too?"

Lily shot Jake a narrow glance, and he coughed delicately before hopping further up the hill, where the Manics and Vathuel were walking.

"No, Rem. Dad's a Shadow. His birthsign allows him to turn invisible. That's not my doing at all. Dad hates magic." Lily glanced up ahead, where Jake was chatting amicably with Vathuel. She couldn't even imagine what the two could talk about, but at least he wasn't shying away from the Daedra anymore. "And you know why I can't teach you the spell, Remmy," she added, undertone.

He flushed bright red, but ignored her and continued hiking up the mountain.

Varlais alit delicately on a rock far ahead and waited patiently for the others to catch up with him. Once they were all together, he said, "We should take a little break. Some of us are looking somewhat peckish," he added, winking at Sheo, who was discreetly stuffing his hand into Marian's pack.

Every gratefully sat on the ground, taking out food and water skins. Lily sighed happily and sprawled out next to Jake, who was collapsed on the dirt, ready to pass out. She shut her eyes, merely enjoying the cool warmth of the day and the mundane sounds of someone—probably Mallory or Varlais—starting a fire, and pots and pans being set up for something better than a dry loaf of bread.

Nearby, she felt the comfortable tingle of Magicka, and her daughter's startled voice squeaked, and Varlais' smooth elven intonation chuckled and said, "That was a rally spell. Feel better?"

"I—wow! What did you do?"

"You absorbed my Magicka. It reconnected you to Aetherius."

Lily smiled to herself as Varlais explained the attributes of the Atronach to Mallroy, and she rolled over, wrapping an arm over Jake's chest, and fell asleep.


	12. Dagon Fel

Lily and Suna were the last ones awake. They were seated around the little fire conjured by Varlais, neither moving nor speaking as they stared into the dancing flames. It had been brutal travelling for so long and so endlessly, but Varlais promised that they were closing in on Dagon Fel, and their true search for Baran could begin.

All around them, sprawled on the hard ash and dirt of northern Vvardenfell, their families slept. Lily smiled to herself as she watched them slumber under the myriad stars. Remmy and Mallory were curled up on either side of Jake, and nearby, Sheo was sprawled on top of Marian. Varlais wasn't too far off; Lily couldn't see him in the dark, but she could practically smell the Magicka that hummed around him. And despite not needing much sleep, he still needed some; Vathuel was between the two families, snoring softly.

Suna made a soft noise, and Lily glanced back at her. The girl's hair was green; thoughtful then.

Reminded, Lily cleared her throat, gaining Suna's attention, and asked, "Suna, can I ask you something?"

"Just did."

Lily rolled her eyes and tucked her long waves over one shoulder. "All right, but something else? Why did your hair turn orange when we were in Balmora, talking to the thieves? You said you don't really understand what orange means," she pointed out, remembering their talk on the trip out of Kragenmoor.

A little frown passed over her dark brows. "Well… I think I have… an idea. I'd have to test it, though."

"So let's hear it."

Suna settled back, leaning on a rock behind her. Scrubbing a hand through her impossibly green hair, she began, "Well, I think I told you, but my hair's been orange before. Only two days a year though. My birthday and Mad Pelagius Day; Sheogorath's day of summoning."

"So what could have changed it in Balmora? Something seemed to have set you off."

The frown deepened. Suna began picking at her fingers as she glowered into the fire. "They called me madcat."

The reference was lost on Lily. "And?"

"In the Isles, I'd heard a couple Khajiit call Sheogorath madcat. Or Dad, sometimes. I think it's a cat way of referring to the Mad God." A shudder passed through her boyish body. "They must've somehow known that I'm from the Isles."

Lily shook her head, disbelieving. "They would have had no way of knowing unless you told them."

Suna gestured wildly to her head. "Uh, colourful hair, Lily. You seem to forget." Sighing heavily, she rubbed at her eyes, smudging the heavy black makeup onto her hands. "I guess it doesn't matter. It's just hair. It doesn't actually make a difference to anything." She paused and glanced up at the horizon. A few lights speckled far into the distance. "Think that's Dagon Fel?"

"According to Varlais."

Lily watched, eyebrows up, as Suna's roots began to shift from emerald green to dark purple. "What do you think's happened to Dad?" the girl asked softly, still staring out at Dagon Fel.

Lily shut her eyes and exhaled slowly. If she tried hard enough, she could tune out the snores and sighs of her slumbering family, the crackle of the fire, and hear the gentle rush of the ocean. "He'll be fine, Suna," she murmured, opening her eyes. Oh, Akatosh, she hoped she was right. "Baran's tough. He always has been. If he could help defeat Mehrunes Dagon _and _Jyggalag, I'm certain he can survive against whatever mad sect has him now."

"His Chosen," Suna whispered. Shaking her head so her now fully purple hair flopped around her face, she moved her leather backpack off her lap and slid off the rock so she was awkwardly lying down.

Lily shuffled over and pulled the blanket from Suna's pack. Laying it over her, she murmured, "We'll find him and bring him home, Suna. Don't worry."

Suna was asleep in moments. Left alone, Lily sighed to herself and looked out toward Dagon Fel. A collection of islands, a little Nordic village; not too far from the village, she could see the menacing spires and domes of either a Dwemer ruin or Daedric shine; she wasn't sure which.

"Please, Akatosh, let Baran be there and safe," she said, looking up at the sky, "and let us find him whole and sound."

—

They were the most ridiculous ragtag group of people to ever walk into Dagon Fel. She was certain of that.

A redheaded Breton mage dressed like a boy; a legendary Master-Wizard of the Mages Guild; a breathtakingly gorgeous blonde in terrifying armour; a boyish girl with, today, ferocious red hair; a brunette man with too many scars to count and a cocky smirk on his face; two little boys trailing a beautiful blonde Imperial bloke; and bringing up the rear, a little girl with brown hair randomly making magical bubbles and popping them for her own amusement.

Needless to say, they got many stares when they walked into the little fishing village.

Much to Mallory's delight, they hadn't bothered hire a boat to ship them from the mainland to the island of Sheogorad to reach Dagon Fel. Varlais and Lily had cast moderately strong water walking spells on everyone, and as a group they marched across the surface of the cold northern sea.

Jake groaned with relief once he stepped onto the firm ground of the island, and to Lily's embarrassment, he dropped to his hands and knees and dramatically kissed the earth.

Covering her face, she looked away as Sheo and Remmy laughed at Jake. Sure, he loved water, but not magic, and he considered walking on water to be absolutely unnatural.

Dagon Fel was a very strange village, she decided as she looked around. It was quite unlike Hlaalu Balmora and Imperial Caldera and muddy Seyda Neen, the only other cities she had seen in Vvardenfell. The buildings were all tall and spindly, although the people who wandered around seemed nice enough.

One of which was the first man to approach the group of travellers. He was a Nord, a big one at that, with a huge beaming smile and kind blue eyes.

"Hello there, strangers!" he called, walking up to them. "You must be new to Dagon Fel. We don't get many strangers around here."

Behind her, Lily heard Jake mumble, "I wonder why."

"Hello," she greeted warmly. "I'm Lily Bercarius, and this is my family."

The Nord bowed deeply to the others. "Greetings. Can I help you with something, ma'am?"

"I was just hoping you could clarify some things for us." She watched idly as Jake and Marian towed the boys away, successfully getting them entranced by one of the many gargantuan mushrooms that littered Vvardenfell. Good. She didn't want Sheo and Remmy to have to listen to problems with Baran any more than they had to. Varlais and Vathuel remained behind her, and Suna and Mallory inched away, pretending to be interested in something a few feet away.

"Sure, if I can. What is it?"

She waved to the men behind her. "These are my friends, Master-Wizard Varlais and Vathuel. We were only wondering if anything odd has happened around Dagon Fel lately."

The Nord frowned somewhat, then shrugged. "Depends what you call odd, ma'am."

Lily smacked her lips together and wished she had Marian with her to list off Baran's abnormalities. "Well, we're actually looking for the Champion of Cyrodiil. He's gone missing. He's a Redguard but looks more like an Imperial, and he's got a lot of scars and is missing some fingers. He was with a group of Dark Elves."

The man's keen blue eyes widened. "And you say he's here in Dagon Fel? We don't really get people that high-profiled here. Or people at all. Are you sure?"

Varlais stepped forward and gave a deep bow. "Good afternoon, sir. I am Master-Wizard Varlais of the Mages Guild. We are certain that they came to Dagon Fel, or are at least in the Sheogorad region. If you have any idea where they could have gone, or if you spotted them at all coming through the town, please, we would be forever indebted to you."

Lily bit back a grin, and even Vathuel looked impressed. Good thing they had a smooth-talking mage with them. Recruiting Varlais was the best step they had taken so far.

"Uh, well, let me see here. Whatever visitors we do get are usually Dark Elves. Bit common in this place." By that, Lily was certain he meant Vvardenfell, if not Morrowind in general. "But I don't recall seeing the Champion of Cyrodiil. Rumours would've been all around town if he'd been seen."

"Other than him," Varlais continued, his big brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight, "has anything unusual been happing around Sheogorad at all lately? Say, perhaps, since the beginning of the year?"

A light lit up in the Nord's blue eyes. "Oh, aye, sure. We always got all sorts of kooks up here, you know, from raiders to adventurers and the like. But there's been some strange activity happening for the past couple years, near that Daedric ruin to the east there. Bit near the Ahemmusa Ashlander camp. It's always been a strange place, but it's been getting more unusual and spooky over the past several months. Maybe it's got something to do with your missing Champion."

Lily cast a hopeful glance at Varlais. "What do you mean by it's gotten more unusual than normal?"

"Nothing against Daedric worshippers," the Nord began, "but they can get a little odd sometimes. But ever since a couple years ago, a while after the Oblivion Crisis was over, it started to get even weirder. Creepy noises, fog, magic: things you don't often see or hear even around a Daedric shrine."

"Ald Daedroth," Varlais murmured.

The Nord nodded. "That's the one. People usually avoid that godsforsaken place, and for good reason."

Lily glanced between Varlais and Vathuel; Varlais merely wore a thoughtful frown, but Vathuel had a hazardous smirk crossing over his jagged teeth.

The Nord, seeing a sneering Imperial rather than a dremora kynreeve, quickly shook his head. "You really shouldn't go out there. Especially if you've got little ones with you." He gestured to Jake and Marian, who were convincing Sheo and Remmy to climb one of the mushrooms. "If you've got a Master-Wizard with you, I reckon you can help yourself. And that lady with you has some good weapons on her. But it was a strange place before the Invasion, ma'am, and it's only gotten weirder since."

Lily bowed her head politely, and Varlais and Vathuel did the same. "Thank you so much for your help, sir Nord," she said, feeling foolish. "You've greatly assisted us. Let's go," she added, undertone, to the men with her. Without another word to the bewildered Nord, she led them away to the mushroom stalk Jake and Marian stood next to. Sheo and Remmy had successfully clambered onto the huge cap above.

"Info?" Jake intoned as they approached. Marian was watching with wide-eyed interest, and both boys were leaning over the edge of the cap, waiting.

"It must be Ald Daedroth," Lily said, coming up beside her husband. Jake instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. "Even if it isn't, it's a good place to start. I mean, it's a Daedric shrine—what better place to hide a stolen Daedric Prince? And besides, that Nord said it's gotten more unusual over the past few years, and especially since the beginning of this year. Whoever—_what_ever—kidnapped Baran has to be there. And we'll finally find out who His Chosen are."

Marian breathed a quiet sigh of relief and leaned against the mushroom stalk, covering her face with her gloves.

"Is it like Cyrodiil?" Jake asked, confusion lining his face. He scratched absently at the stubble dotting his cheeks, and Lily rolled her eyes at the streak of silver. "Each shrine has a different god?"

"Oh, by the Nine, definitely not," Varlais retorted. "The shrines in Cyrodiil are nothing compared to that of Morrowind, and especially Vvardenfell. The shrines in the forests of Cyrodiil are little more than statues; here, they are ancient cities and giant ruins. Ald Daedroth is the combination of several different Princes into one. Unless I'm mistaken from my time researching them, it contains shrines to Azura, Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, and Sheogorath. A very odd assortment of people, to be sure."

Marian twitched, and above her, Sheo made a loud whining sound. "Oh, my lord Sheogorath!" she exclaimed breathlessly, patting a hand over her armoured heart. "May we go? I would very much like to see one of my lord's shrines!"

Jake grunted softly, but Lily didn't think it was funny in the least. "Sheogorath," she repeated, and looked over at Varlais. Behind him, the girls were coming back, finished their minor exploration of the shore. "Do you think it might have something to do with him?"

"It very well may." Varlais rubbed his hairless chin, his pale brows drawing together. "Sheogorath has his own shrine here in Vvardenfell, which would have apparently been more appropriate, but perhaps these Chosen just didn't know where it was. Or maybe they came to Ald Daedroth for a specific reason. Who knows?"

"We won't, not 'til we go there and find Dad," Suna piped up, her hair morphing from red to blue. She had been a little miffed about not being allowed to use her water-walking potions for the trip, and had apparently got over it. "I mean, how dangerous could this place be?"

Varlais' brows arched up. "You would be surprised, little arpen."

"Little what?" Mallory asked, bewildered.

Varlais' golden skin coloured slightly. "Oh—I am fluent in the language of the Ayleidoon. That meant 'noble'." He cleared his throat and waved a hand at Suna. "Your name is Ayleid. It means 'bless'. My name as well; 'stars' is the meaning."

"This is a little off-topic," Lily pointed out. "Shouldn't we be deciding what to do about all this?"

Taking her hands, Jake tugged her away from the mushroom. "Let's get a couple rooms in the local inn, drink a bit; you know, loosen up. Then we can figure this out, hm?" He smirked and pulled her away, and she let herself be towed into town. "Hey, Vathuel, maybe could you get the boys off the mushroom?" he shouted over his shoulder, and Lily giggled, leaning onto his shoulder.

She heard Vathuel grumbled to Varlais about help with his height and his magic, and she was certain Remmy and Sheo would be fine. They were in capable hands. "How did you and Marian manage to get them up there, anyway?" she wondered curiously.

Jake chuckled; she felt it vibrate through his chest into hers. "It didn't take a lot of convincing. I mean, they're boys. I just said that it would be a pretty cool feat to get up there; Sheo instantly decided he had to, and Rem agreed. Marian said they might as well; maybe they could spot Baran from up there." One thick brown brow arched, and Lily stifled another laugh. "Boys will be boys, right?"

Something pinched her bottom and she squeaked, instantly feeling her face turn tomato red. "Apparently men will be boys too," she snapped teasingly, and pushed him away. "Race you to the inn!"

She instantly burst into a run, but Jake was way faster than her. He laughed as he ran past her up the hill toward the inn, and just as he was about to beat her, Lily warmed up a demoralize spell and blasted it at him. A look of horror washed over Jake's face as the spell crashed into his chest, and he abruptly tripped over nothing and collapsed onto the ground. Lily laughed and grabbed the front door of the inn, panting and giggling as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Loser!" she called as Jake clambered to his feet and dusted off his knees. "A girl beat you in a footrace!"

"A girl who cheated!" he shouted back.

Lily made a face before stepping into the inn. Unlike the other strange buildings in Dagon Fel, it looked comfortably familiar, much more like the Imperial buildings of Caldera than the strange spires Varlais had called Telvanni.

It was nearly empty. She hadn't expected it to be like the inn in Kragenmoor, of course, but having more than just the owner would have been nice. Still, it was a place to sleep. She wandered up to the counter, where an aged Nord woman was leaning.

"Hello!" Lily greeted, flushed and warm from the race.

The woman smiled, lines deepening on her fair skin. "Greetings. I'm Fryfnhild."

Lily took a moment to just stare. That had to be the most difficult name _ever_. "I'm Lily Bercarius, with my family." She waved behind her as the clattering crew stomped into the inn.

"Welcome to the tavern of the End of the World," Fryfnhild said warmly. "What can I get you all today?"

"We're actually just looking for rooms right now."

"Oh." The Nord jabbed a thumb across the room. "You'll want to go across the bridge to the renter section. Hjotra the Peacock will help you."

They followed her directions, moving single-file through the little inn, and in no less than five minutes they reached the renter sections and found a slightly younger Nord woman.

"Hello! Welcome to little Dagon Fel. I'm Hjotra the Peacock. Can I get you some rooms?" the woman asked, smiling to show off several chipped teeth.

"Yep. We'll need…" Lily paused and looked at her odd party of family and friends—and strangers, and demons. Well, she and Jake would definitely have a room, and Sheo would probably want to stay with Marian; Suna, Mallory and Remmy could share; and Vathuel and Varlais deserved their own. "Five rooms, please," she finished, smiling as Marian instantly began rummaging around her bag for money.

Remmy instantly groaned. "Does that mean I have to share a room with Mallory _again?_" he demanded.

"And Suna, dear," Lily replied blandly as she helped Marian count out the gold with Hjotra.

Remmy made a little triumphant noise behind her, and Lily saw Marian bite her lip to hold back a smile. "They'll be married one day," the beautiful blonde Manic whispered under her breath.

Lily let out a quiet laugh and glanced back at the kids. Sheo was leaning on Vathuel for support—he was exhausted, the poor thing—and Mallory was making magical bubbles from boredom, but Remmy was grabbing Suna's hands and saying how awesome it would be to finish all this adventuring up, and how he was going to show her all the things he had back at the farm.

"If she lets him," Lily muttered, and Marian giggled.

Once the money was taken care of, the adults moved all the packs into their respective rooms. Sheo went to bed immediately, with Vathuel guarding him, and Jake bought a round of drinks and forced one into Varlais' hand—ever the charming and charismatic Imperial, he somehow convinced the High Elf to drink it—Remmy was getting Suna to tell him stories of the Asylums again, and Lily, Marian, and Mallory were seated tiredly by the fire, unable to do much more than just sit and talk occasionally of the things that had happened over the years apart.

Marian had removed her Demented armour and was reaching tentatively at the flames with pale, bare hands. "It was in the middle of the Greymarch. Baran had to recruit the aureals to help him fight Jyggalag and his Knights of Order. I was so big I could barely stand!"

Lily smiled, and Mallory made a pleasant sound.

"He had Haskill take me back to Bliss, and I waited there until the Greymarch was over. Such beautiful fire," she whispered to herself as she leaned closer to the hearth. "Suna was born not too long after. She was so big I could hardly move by the end of it. I was so glad when she finally came out." She glanced back at her daughter, sprawled on the floor nearby with Remmy, and gave a little, distant smile. "Sheo was much better."

"Was Baran there at least?"

"Oh, of course. He wouldn't have missed it for the world. Even Hirrus came over from Crucible to see. It was wonderful."

Lily leaned back more comfortably in her chair, glad to be sitting civilly for the first time in months. "I was alone when I had Remmy," she admitted, chuckling to herself. "When you came, Mal, Gran was there, and Papa Louis, Auntie Marie, Uncle Brom, Dad, the neighbours in Cropsford—even Chancellor Ocato; Gran got him to come. Everyone was there to see it. It was awful having so many people—especially the _Chancellor_—staring up my skirt, but you really don't notice things like that at the time."

Mallory made a disgusted face, but Marian nodded absently. "You really don't," she agreed. "But not with Remmy?"

"Not at all. I was gardening despite being nine months pregnant, because Jake had to go to the Imperial City to deal with his fortune from his father following our marriage. Mallory was inside, sleeping. He just kind of… showed up. In the vegetable patch. _That _was real pain."

"You're so gross, Mama."

"Just wait, dear. You'll do it one day too."

Mallory stuck her nose into the air. "What makes you think that? I want to be a mage. A scholar. I don't need a husband or children."

Marian giggled and Lily smiled, patting her daughter's head. "You'll make a perfect scholar, Mal. Especially now that you're learning with Varlais."

Redness suddenly bloomed on Mallory's freckled cheeks. "Isn't he great, Mama? He's so smart, and—"

"Don't even think of it," Lily interrupted, brow arched. "Relationships between men and mer don't really work out. They live for several centuries; we're _really _lucky if we live for one." As Mallory sputtered some inane excuse, Lily muttered, "Don't need a man, my ass."

"Just wait, Mallory," Marian remarked, finally moving from her chair straight to the hearth, where the flames practically licked her back. "One day you will just realize, even after all you have done to keep from falling, it has happened. And then you'll go to Oblivion together and nearly get crushed by a falling paradise," she added blandly.

Mallory's jaw dropped, and Lily let out a little snort. "Oh, gods, Paradise. I'd almost forgotten. Was it as beautiful as Baran promised it would be?"

"And more. At first. Until the Ascended Immortals began dying around us, and we ended up in fiery catacombs. But yes. Paradise was beautiful," she sighed, smiling at nothing in particular. "I was his right hand. I still am. Ever since Grandmaster Jauffre began working us together, we have always been a team, in battle, love, and parenting."

"You're so sappy." Mallory stood and moved her chair back into place. "I'm going to talk to Papa and Varlais instead."

Lily sipped on the brandy Jake had thoughtfully bought for everyone, and was suddenly reminded of her birthday night in Kragenmoor. Thank Akatosh it wasn't sujamma he had handed out. Face flushing, she busied herself in her mug and mumbled into the alcohol, "Is that old goat still alive?"

"Jauffre? Goodness, yes. He sends us letters every month. He was devastated when I wrote him about what happened to Baran. He said that if the Empire was not crumbling into nothing, he would send the Blades to help find him."

Lily smirked, remembering the balding old grandmaster. He had been old then; he had to be ancient now. He had seemed so rough on the outside, but he had such a soft spot for those close to him: Baran, Baurus, and Martin, for example. Lily was certain he would do anything—_had done_ everything—he possibly could for them. And though he and she had got off on the wrong foot—Jauffre had instantly assumed she was a worshipper of the Daedric Prince Azura, bent on assassinating Martin, illegitimate heir to the Septim throne—they had warmed up to each other by the finale of the Daedric Invasion. She actually quite liked the old man, and was so relieved when she saw he had survived the siege on the Imperial City.

"He's a sweet old man," she murmured, smiling warmly at the memory. "I'd like to see him again. It's been so long."

Marian waved a hand to the inn around them. Lily followed her hand, feeling so much older when she saw their teenage daughters and young sons, her husband with his grey hairs—and an apparently ageless Elf who looked no older than he did the first time she met him.

"I wish I was mer," Lily pouted, gulping back more brandy.

"If you were mer, you wouldn't be Lily," Marian remarked, and tapped her glass into the redhead's. "It has been long, but think of what we've accomplished. We aren't as young as we used to be. We're in the northernmost city in Vvardenfell instead of Cyrodiil. We're fighting something with no name or face instead of Mehrunes Dagon or Jyggalag. That is all true. But we have our men, and we have our children—our legacy. We have each other. We always have, even when we were apart." Marian grinned, the same distant grin she always had when she got excited during the Oblivion Crisis. Lily blinked back tears, remembering that ecstatic look when Marian suggested they go to the Imperial City to find Jake after Dar'vaba kidnapped him and sent him to prison as the Gray Fox. "I thought of you every day when I was in the Madhouse," Marian said, bright green eyes sparkling.

"You're adorable, Marian," Lily choked out, and plopped down on the hearth next to her friend. The fire instantly tried to fry her back, but she ignored it and wrapped an arm around Marian's thin shoulders. "I can't believe I spent so long without you."

Before they could get into any more nostalgic I love yous, Mallory's voice called from across the room, "Mama, Papa got Varlais drunk!"

Lily slapped her hand to her face. "Oh, Akatosh, give me strength," she muttered, and handed Marian her cup before standing and marching across the tavern. "Jake, you are the most irresponsible, conniving, horrible Imperial I have ever met," she said, seeing her husband peer innocently up at her with a toothy grin splitting his face. Across from him, slumped in a chair with his absurdly long legs jutting straight out, ready to trip any oblivious passerby, was a very drunk Master-Wizard of the Mages Guild.

Judging by the foggy look to his usually clear brown eyes, Jake was a little drunk as well. "Oh, Lil," he mumbled, climbing laboriously to his feet and slumping on her. "'Member that night at the caverns?"

Lily twitched and felt her face heat up. "Uh—you should sleep this off, Jake."

"I'm Crantius Colto, actually."

Her jaw dropped in horror. "Dear gods, no."

Varlais' hand shot upward, finger pointed to the ceiling. "I want to be Lifts-Her-Tail!"

Behind her, Marian immediately burst into hilarity. "Oh, by Sheogorath! I remember that night!"

Lily covered her flaming cheeks with her hands, but Jake nuzzled his nose up to hers and whispered, "I see that smile, pretty lady. Want something to drink, too? You could be Colto's wife."

"No, thank you, Jake. I don't want to drink for a long time after Kragenmoor."

Varlais lifted his head and squinted drunkenly at her. "What happened in Kragenmoor?" he slurred.

Before Lily could even think of censoring her idiot husband, Jake announced, "She drank two full bottles of sujamma to herself and felt up one of the nudie dancers!"

Lily groaned and fell back into one of the chairs. Mallory gasped, horrified, and Remmy made a disgusted sound. Marian was hooting with laughter.

"Can we _not _bring that up anymore, Jake? Come with me, please. Vathuel!" she shouted, not caring if she woke up Sheo from his nap.

The greyish, horned head of the kynreeve poked out of the children's room. "Yes, Master?"

"Could you get Varlais into his room, please?" Lily managed to stand, despite her knees shaking almost painfully, and grabbed Jake's arm. He didn't protest as she towed him across the inn to their rented rooms, but her face flushed even deeper when she heard him quietly reciting the dirtiest part of _The Lusty Argonian Maid_.

She firmly shut the door behind her as Jake flopped back on the squeaky bed. "You remember the list, Lil?" he asked, tapping his toes together to a mindless beat.

She tugged off his boots and tossed them onto the floor. "What list?"

"The _Less Rude Song _list—'member? Redguards were above Imperials. Changed at all?"

Lily sighed and shook her head from exasperation. "Sure. It's been a while since I was rolling around with any Redguards anyhow. Get some sleep, would you? _Alone_," she added after he chuckled and smirked at her with a devious twinkle in his eyes. "I'll check up on you in a bit."

Just as she turned to join the others, she heard him mumble sleepily, "… have more than some staid fun and suffer deviant fornication…"

Lily rubbed her forehead and left him alone in the room, singing to himself _A Less Rude Song_.

—

"What do you remember of Martin?"

Lily and Marian were on the bridge between the two sections of the End of the World, staring up at the stars in the silence of the night. Dagon Fel was pleasantly quiet after the sun fell; the children were all asleep, the drunks were taken care of, and they were the only two left awake, it seemed in all of Vvardenfell.

Marian sighed softly and shifted, settling in more comfortably on the bridge. "So much and so little. He was the kindest man I have ever met, I think," she murmured.

Lily moved her head to see the Manic, and smiled somewhat. "He loved everyone."

"Yes. Oh, Sheogorath, when he first arrived at Cloud Ruler Temple," Marian giggled quietly, "and Jauffre first introduced us, he tripped over his own tongue and made a face like a grummite. He tried so hard to woo me. But I knew it wasn't really there. He loved you a lot, Lily. I sometimes overheard him talking to Baran or Baurus about it."

Lily snorted in memory as she gazed up at the stars. Tiny silver pinpricks; holes in space, letting the pure light of Aetherius shine through and Father Akatosh smile down upon them all. "He hinted towards it a few times," she murmured, "but it was just platonic."

"According to who? You?" Marian sat up and untied her ponytail; her impossibly gorgeous blonde hair tumbled down her back in a waterfall. Shaking her head, she lay back down and said, "What I overheard was more than platonic love, Lily. He told Baran, Baurus, you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, inside and out. He said he hadn't such impure thoughts since his days with Sanguine. But he was a priest. He couldn't possibly act on it. And then you were in love with Jake. He had no choice but to let you go, no matter how much it hurt him."

Lily shut her eyes to trap the tears that wanted to fall. Beautiful Brother Martin, inquisitive servant of the Mages Guild, drunken worshipper of Sanguine, soft-spoken priest of Akatosh, illegitimate heir to Tamriel and future emperor; perfect blue eyes, pleasant smile, gentle lilting accent. Avatar to Akatosh. Bane of Mehrunes Dagon. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "To the Son, Arkay; to beautiful Dibella; to our keeper Julianos; and our heavenly Kynareth; to the Mother, Mara; to the compassionate Stendarr; to Talos the conqueror; to our peaceful Zenithar; and to our almighty Father, Akatosh: keep Martin safe in your warm hold in blessed Aetherius."

Although Marian came from the Madhouse of Sheogorath, she had lived in Tamriel long enough to understand. "Let his soul watch us and guide our hands as we look for Baran."

Lily smiled despite the tears streaking her face. She could see him perfectly in her mind's eye: smiling down at her with those thin brackets around his mouth, and his eyes happier than the sun. "Father Akatosh, keep his essence alive in your Avatar, as a beacon of hope and life to all weary travellers."

Marian made a soft cooing sound and her hand brushed Lily's. "Do you have anything of his?"

"Just a book he gave me from Cloud Ruler Temple. About vampires. He always supported my weird fascination with dark magic and the Princes. But no, nothing of his."

"I'll have Jauffre send something."

Lily wanted to protest, but Marian merely kept talking, preventing anything from coming out of Lily's mouth.

"What made you think of Martin?"

"Jake, actually. He kept talking about that night outside Lake Arrius Caverns, and _The Lusty Argonian Maid _and _A Less Rude Song_, and I just couldn't help but remember how heartbroken and disturbed Martin looked when he found out and told me about it."

Marian giggled and sat up, leaning over Lily. "I told him and Baran about that night at the same time. They were both horrified. Baran thought it was hilarious after a while, but yes, Martin was heartbroken. He thought he was losing the little girl he knew in Kvatch, when really you were just growing up."

"However crazy it sounds, I miss those days."

"And you call _me _crazy." But there was laughter in Marian's voice.

Lily chuckled and sat up next to her friend. Marian's pale skin seemed to glow in the starlight, and the reddish hue of Masser made her hair shine almost violet in some places. "Do you know what I mean, though? It's not only that I miss Martin—and I do, every day that passes. But I miss being so carefree, travelling around Cyrodiil with you and Baran and Jake. I even miss Dar'vaba, sometimes," she admitted, surprising herself. "I hated him. I still do hate him. But… I can't help but feel grateful to him, for being there with Jake for three years, even though they claimed to despise each other. I think if Dar'vaba hadn't been stalking him, Jake might've finally succeeded in killing himself."

"I thought it was only that time in Lake Rumare that he tried."

"No… but that was one time. He has these huge scars that I never saw before, on his wrists. And I'm sure all his adventures with alcohol and skooma have been more than just for fun."

"Oh. He is so troubled. Thank Sheogorath he has you now, and Mallory and Remmy." Marian paused, her big green eyes narrowing somewhat. "Remmy is very like him, you know."

"What do you mean?" Lily was expecting the worse. They already knew that Remmy took after Jake in some of his more… illegal ways.

"He tried to pick a magical item from Varlais' pocket, but Vathuel caught him when he thought nobody was looking." Marian lifted one shoulder and leaned her head on Lily. "He's beautiful. You and Jake have good spawn."

Lily snorted with laughter, and Marian trembled beside her. "Or scamps, as Vathuel might say."

Marian made a soft noise deep in her throat. "Mm. Maybe I'll have Sheo make vanilla-iced cupcakes."

That seemed a little off-topic. "Why?"

"Those are Mehrunes Dagon's favourite. Sheo loves spoiling the Princes, and I'm certain one of Dagon's kynreeves would like the same thing as his master."

A sudden image of horned, grey-skinned, scowling Vathuel delighting in cupcakes iced in vanilla made Lily burst into giggles. She had missed this, just being with Marian. Despite the seriousness of their whole situation, she was glad to have Marian at her side again.

"Just like old times," she whispered, and Marian softly agreed, and their voices faded away into the dark.


End file.
